NEW PALESTINE — Tonight’s game is just like any other for the New Palestine Dragons … except for all the ways that it isn’t.
The Dragons are looking to close out yet another undefeated regular season, but the stakes are higher tonight and there is something a bit different about this year’s finale.
New Palestine is looking to go 9-0 again, for the sixth straight year, and extend their state-best regular-season winning streak of 53 games. They have already clinched a share of the Hoosier Heritage Conference championship, and a win against Delta tonight at home would secure it for themselves.
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A shared title — the result if Delta prevails — simply isn’t acceptable.
“We talk to the boys all the time about we don’t work as hard as we work to tie,” New Palestine coach Kyle Ralph said. “Our program is based off winning or losing. Everything we do in the offseason is that there are no ties. There can’t be ties. That’s a mindset. It’s a big part of what we do. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point, obviously undefeated with one week to go. Understanding that if we were to slip up, we have to share a championship is something that we’re not willing to do.”
This week is the first of what the Dragons hope are many opportunities to claim different championships for themselves — the HHC title tonight, and sectional, regional, semistate and state titles down the line, if things go the Dragons’ way.
A win tonight is crucial for more than just extending the winning streak. It’s about boosting confidence and gaining momentum heading into an intense state tournament.
“It’s really important,” Dragon senior linebacker Luke Ely said. “This is the first week that we have a chance to become champions. I think if we can achieve that, it will just lead us further on into the playoffs and help us gain confidence.”
To call themselves champions tonight, the Dragons will have to stop a different-yet-familiar Delta team.
The Eagles still run the ball incredibly effectively. The difference is a big one, though. This year, there are a half dozen Eagles who run the ball regularly. This year, the Eagles will be the ones who have to tackle Charlie Spegal, their former teammate and star running back.
“It’s going to be great not having to tackle Charlie,” Ely said with a laugh. “He was tough to bring down last year, so that’s a great help and addition to our team.”
Spegal, who excelled in his freshman and sophomore years at Delta, went from Eagles’ standout to Dragons’ star this season.
The New Palestine junior still keeps in touch with some of his former teammates, still considers them friends. He used to see them all of the time and face them daily in practice.
This will be something different. Lining up across the football field as opponents on a Friday night is new.
“I think it’s going to be interesting and kind of fun,” Spegal said. “It gets me a little more hyped up than usual. I’m looking forward to it.”
The Eagles played with Spegal for two years. They know how he runs. They know how hard it is to bring him down.
But they are surely going to try. Stopping their former teammate will be key if they want a chance to upset the Class 5A No.1 Dragons.
“Everyone wants to stop him, obviously,” Ralph said. “I think there will be a lot of pride on Delta’s side. They’re going to want to show him that they can stop him. A lot of those kids grew up with him, grew up together, and really for the first time they’re going to be on the opposite side of the field as him.”
Defensively, Ralph said Delta prides itself on playing physical football, focusing in on stopping their opponent’s run game.
That means stopping Spegal tonight. But if they do that and focus too much on their former running back, the Dragons have other options to get the job done.
New Castle learned that firsthand last week, when they clearly game-planned to take Spegal out of the equation and make the Dragons beat them another way. New Palestine did. Spegal still had good numbers, but quarterback Zach Neligh had an explosive game, too, running for three touchdowns himself and hurting the Trojans repeatedly.
Delta has plenty of motivation for trying to stop the Dragons’ powerhouse offense. But wanting to do so and succeeding in doing so are very different things.
“They’ve done a really nice job of that this year, being able to, for the most part, stop team’s run games,” Ralph said. “Their guys on
the interior are really what you’re used to seeing of Delta kids. They’re thick, they’re physical, they’re strong kids and they love to hit and play football.”
The stakes may be a bit higher than the past eight weeks, but the overall goal is the same for New Palestine. Get to 1-0 this week by beating the opponent that is directly in front of them.
Nothing else matters.
“We’re really confident right now, but at the same time we have to keep preparing for every team just how we do every week,” Ely said. “Same mindset — treat every week and every team like they can beat us.”
The goals and the preparation might be the same, but this week just has that extra something special to it, especially for Eagle-turned-Dragon Spegal. Getting to close the regular season against his former team, with a conference title on the line, with a perfect season at stake, is a new experience for him.
He said he is trying to view it as just another game, focusing in on his assignments and the gameplan, but it’s impossible to not notice the occasion.
Even though it would be at his friends’ expense, he is hopeful to add one more accolade to a growing list at the end of tonight’s game, something he got a taste of last week when the Dragons clinched a share of the HHC but something he wants his team to take for itself.
“When I was at Delta, I never got to be a conference champion,” Spegal said. “Hopefully we can pull it off and be a conference champion here.”
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Three Hancock County teams close out their regular season with home games tonight, with one on the road. The Dragons and Cougars will have byes next week, while Mt. Vernon and Eastern Hancock play in sectional openers a week from tonight.
New Palestine vs. Delta, 7:30 p.m.
Greenfield-Central vs. New Castle, 7:30 p.m.
Mt. Vernon at Yorktown, 7:30 p.m.
Eastern Hancock vs. Lapel, 7 p.m.
For a breakdown of each of tonight’s games, along with a look at area state leaders, go to Page B2.
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