It already owns one enormous trophy. Now the New Palestine High School football team will collect several smaller mementos. The players and coaches on the Dragons’ state title squad will receive their championship rings Friday during the boys basketball game against Greenwood. Here’s a rundown of the festivities.
1. Basketball seniors honored
The basketball team will host Greenwood, beginning with the junior varsity game at 6 p.m., followed by the varsity game about 7:30 p.m. Basketball seniors Ben Farley, Ryan Curry, Kevin Riley, Alec Cook and Taylor Hiland will be recognized prior to warm-ups of the varsity game.
2. Proud to wear blue
With four minutes remaining in the first half of the varsity game, the football players, coaches and managers will be presented with their state championship rings in the auxiliary gym, directly next to the main gym. The rings, with the IHSAA traditional championship blue center stone, are being made for the first time this school year by Herff Jones. The Dragons’ football players, who completed a 15-0 season, will join members of the New Palestine softball state title teams (2004, 2008, 2009), the 2004 baseball team and state championship wrestlers Kyle Ulrey and Chad Red as owners of the prestigious jewelry.
3. MaxPreps adds another trophy to the case
At halftime of the varsity game, MaxPreps (the IHSAA official statistics provider), in partnership with the Army National Guard, will honor the football team as part of its Football Tour of Champions. MaxPreps and the Army National Guard will present the football team with the Army National Guard National Ranking Trophy, in recognition of the Dragons’ elite season. This award will likely go in the New Palestine trophy case, near the impressive IHSAA state title trophy the Dragons earned following their Class 4A title win against New Prairie on Nov. 28 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
