Davis Brothers Dominate: Jacob Scores, Andrew Secures in Dragons’ Victory

New Palestine defeated Cathedral 20–15 this past Friday in the Sectional Championship.

Q1

Key Plays: New Palestine opened explosively: Ryder Gardner returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, giving the Dragons immediate momentum. Cathedral’s offense struggled to establish rhythm early, failing to score in the opening frame

Standouts:

• Ryder Gardner (QB|DB, Jr.) – Takes the opening kickoff of the Sectional Championship to the house

• Gannon Knowles (LB, Sr.) – Big time sack by Gannon in the first quarter

Ryder Gardner Kick Off Return TD

Gannon Knowles Sacks Jacob Davis

Score after Q1: New Palestine 7 Cathedral 0

Q2

Key Plays: Cathedral managed to get on the board with a field goal and later added a safety, cutting into the lead. New Palestine’s defense held strong, preventing Cathedral from finding the end zone before halftime.

Standouts:

• Cathedral Defense - The Dragons on their own 5 yd line. Cathedral's Aiden Fiournoy reaches Jacob Davis for a safety.

• Andrew Davis (WR|DB, S0.) – Andrew stops an Irish drive at the five yd line of New Palestine with an INT.

• Cathedral Special Teams – With 11.4 seconds left in the half, Van Krisiloff hits a 35 yd FG to bring the Irish within three points.

Cathedral Gets To Jacob Davis - Safety

Andrew Davis INT

Cathedral 35 yd FG

Halftime Score: New Palestine 7 Cathedral 5

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Q3

Key Plays: Senior QB Jacob Davis scored on a short rushing touchdown, extending New Palestine’s lead. Cathedral answered with a field goal, keeping the game within reach.

Standouts:

• Andrew Davis (WR|DB, S0.) – Andrew stops another Irish drive with a second INT.

• Cathedral Special Teams – Van Krisiloff hits a 42 yd FG to bring the Irish within six points.

Jacob Davis TD Run

Andrew Davis Second INT

Cathedral 42 yd FG

Score after Q3: New Palestine 14 Cathedral 8 

Q4

Key Plays: Jacob Davis struck again with another short run, giving the Dragons a cushion. Cathedral finally found the end zone with a late touchdown, but Andrew Davis (DB, So.) sealed the win with his third interception of the night,

• Standouts:

  • Andrew Davis (WR|DB, S0.) – Andrew stops another Irish drive with a third INT.

Jacob Davis 3 yd TD Run

Andrew Davis INT #3

Cameron Koers to Nate Van Vierzen TD

Final: New Palestine 20 Cathedral 15

New Palestine will be away next week for the Regional Championship as they take on 9-2 East Central.

🏈 Game Details

• Total Plays: Cathedral ran 62 plays compared to New Palestine’s 48.

• First Downs: Cathedral managed 14, while New Palestine earned 16.

• Penalties: Cathedral had 6 penalties for 45 yards, New Palestine 4 penalties for 30 yards.

• Time of Possession: Cathedral held the ball (27:58) compared to (20:02) for New Palestine

📊 Key Performances

• New Palestine

  • Ryder Gardner: Kickoff return TD set the tone.

  • Jacob Davis: Two rushing touchdowns, steady leadership.

  • Andrew Davis: Three interceptions, including a game-saving pick in the end zone.

• Cathedral

  • Cameron Koers (QB): 175 passing yards, 1 TD but 3 INTs.

  • Offense showed flashes late but couldn’t overcome turnovers.

🏈 Stats - New Palestine Dragons

• Jacob Davis (QB, Sr.)

  • Passing: 8/12, 148 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, long 41

  • Rushing: 2 short TD runs (including game-winner in 4th quarter)

• Ryder Gardner (WR/KR, Jr.)

  • Special Teams: Returned opening kickoff for a touchdown

• Andrew Davis (DB, So.)

  • Defense: 3 interceptions, including one in the end zone to seal the win

• Caden Jacobia (RB, Sr.)

  • Rushing: 15 carries, 86 yards (5.7 avg), long 22

🏈 Stats - Cathedral Fighting Irish

• Cameron Koers (QB, Sr.)

  • Passing: 21/36, 175 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, long 26

• Jimmy Pappas (RB, Sr.)

  • Rushing: 13 carries, 40 yards (3.1 avg), long 13

• Xavier Brown (RB, Jr.)

  • Rushing: 7 carries, 31 yards (4.4 avg), long 12

• Defensive Standouts

  • Gannon Knowles, Kyle Harden, Caden Nelson: each recorded a sack

  • Knowles also had 6 tackles, 2 for loss

MSP 11.08.25