Regional Rumble Resolved: Jacobia’s Run Lifts Dragons Over East Central

New Palestine defeated East Central 20–6 this past Friday in the Regional Championship. They pulled away late in the matchup, using a dominant fourth quarter to secure the win.

Q1

Key Plays: Both defenses set the tone early. East Central’s front seven limited New Palestine’s rushing lanes, while the Dragons’ secondary contained the Trojans’ passing attempts. No scoring, but possession time leaned heavily toward East Central (nearly 2:1 ratio)

Standouts:

• Josh Ranes (RB|LB, Sr.) – With 6:08 left in Q1, Josh sacks the QB to force a fourth down.

Josh Ranes Sack

Score after Q1: New Palestine 0 East Central 0

Q2

Key Plays: New Palestine got on the board at the beginning of the quarter with a 35 yd field. East Central struck back with a short-yardage touchdown drive, capitalizing on field position after a defensive stop. This was set up by a long pass from Nolan Maple to Ethan Feldkamp to put EC inside New Pals 10 yd line.

Standouts:

• Will Graf (RB|LB, S0.) – Will scored from 4 yds out to put East Central up 6-3.

• New Palestine Special Teams – Evan Walker (So.) hit on two FGs (35 and 30).

Evan Walker 35 yd FG

Will Graff 4 yd TD Run

Evan Walker 30 yd FG

Halftime Score: New Palestine 6 East Central 6

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Q3

Key Plays: A defensive stalemate. New Palestine leaned on QB Jacob Davis (14 carries, 98 yards) to move the chains, but drives stalled in Trojan territory. No points scored, setting up a tense final quarter.

Standouts:

• Red Rage Defense – finally figured out the Wing T.

• East Central air attack had some success in the third. They were able to continue the drive with a nice Nolan Maple to Colton Bellman first down pass.

Red Rage Defense

Nolan Maple to Colton Bellman

Score after Q3: New Palestine 6 East Central 6 

Q4

Key Plays: The Dragons took control with two touchdowns, both on the ground. East Central’s offense was shut down completely, unable to respond against New Palestine’s defensive adjustments. The Dragons dominated possession and sealed the win with clock management

• Standouts:

  • Caden Jacobia (RB|DB, Sr.) – It was the Caden show in the fourth scoring twice (35 and 1 yd).

Caden Jacobia 35 yd TD Run

Caden Jacobia 1 yd TD Run

Final: New Palestine 20 East Central 6

This game showcased New Palestine’s resilience, overcoming East Central’s early control and grinding out a win with their rushing attack. The Dragons’ ability to finish drives in the fourth quarter was the decisive factor.

New Palestine will be at home next week for the Semi State Championship as they take on 11-1 Bloomington South.

🏈 Game Details

• Total Plays: East Central ran 54 plays compared to New Palestine’s 54.

• First Downs: East Central managed 12, while New Palestine earned 16.

• Penalties: East Central had 8 penalties for 60 yards, New Palestine 7 penalties for 75 yards.

• Time of Possession: East Central held the ball (29:58) compared to (18:02) for New Palestine

🏈 Stats - New Palestine Dragons

• Caden Jacobia (RB, Sr.)

  • 22 carries, 160 yards, 1 TD

  • Broke multiple chunk runs, including a decisive fourth-quarter drive that set up a score.

• Jacob Davis (QB, Sr.)

  • 2/12 passing, 15 yards (limited through the air)

  • 14 carries, 98 rushing yards, 1 TD

  • Used his legs to extend drives and scored the clinching touchdown.

• Defense (Team)

  • Held East Central scoreless in the second half.

  • Forced multiple punts and limited the Trojans to 12 first downs

🏈 Stats - East Central Trojans

• Nolan Maple (QB, Sr.)

  • 7/14 passing, 89 yards

  • Connected on a few intermediate throws but couldn’t generate explosive plays.

• Rushing Attack (Team)

  • Managed modest gains but couldn’t break through New Palestine’s front seven.

• Defense (Team)

  • Strong first half, holding New Palestine to just 6 points through three quarters.

  • Fatigued late as the Dragons’ rushing attack wore them down: each recorded a sack

MSP 11.15.25