NEW PALESTINE — Suits and ties are not required at Kelso Stadium, but if the top-ranked New Palestine football team’s approach to their semistate championship game tonight mirrored its attire, semi-formal wear would fit the bill.
"Focused. We’re all focused and dedicated to getting better," New Palestine senior Charlie Spegal remarked during Thursday’s practice. "We don’t accept meritocracy on this team and for the team. We give our best effort every play. We don’t take any plays off."
It’s business as usual for the defending Class 5A state champion Dragons (12-0), who haven’t lost a game since Nov. 3, 2017, while dismantling the competition through 26 straight the past two seasons.
Every week is a new challenge for New Palestine. Every opponent is their top-threat, or so that’s how the Dragons measure it up with the program’s potential fourth state finals appearance on the line on their home turf.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
New Palestine is no stranger to deep state tournament runs.
In 2014, the Dragons won their first state championship under head coach Kyle Ralph in 4A and nearly repeated in 5A the next year. Taking three seasons to get back, New Palestine won it all last November with a perfect 14-0 finish en route to the school’s first 5A title.
With past experience on their side and a no-nonsense outlook on the game, the Dragons believe in the finer details, from the Xs and Os to controlled energy from within. Both will come into play tonight at 7 p.m.
"You must be the most excited team on the field tomorrow," Ralph declared to his Dragons before breaking practice. "This is the last step to downtown (Indianapolis)."
A direct, "Yes, sir!," is all Ralph needed to hear.
"That’s been one of our team goals every week to be the most excited team to play, and I think that’s important. A lot of this game that I coach, and that I’ve played is about emotion. The hard part about being No. 1 is that everybody wants to knock you off," said Ralph, who owns an 86-4 record through seven seasons at New Palestine.
"As the No. 1 team, you have to understand you’re going to take everyone’s best shot. That’s been are biggest challenge, being the most excited team to play. Everyone is excited to play us because they want to beat No. 1, but we’ve got to be excited to defend that ranking."
Bloomington South (8-4) is trying to reach Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time and vie for the program’s third state championship and potential first since 1998. The unranked Panthers are led by coach Mo Moriarity, who owns a 304-100 career record over 34 seasons and is 201-59 in 22 years in Bloomington.
Both of the school’s past state titles in 1993 and 1998 at 5A belong to Moriarity before he took over at Carmel in 2005 and had a two-year stint at Salem.
The Panthers bring a balanced attack to the field with quarterback D.J. Bull passing for 1,1163 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Maveric Thiery has rushed for 1,454 yards and 19 touchdowns.
"In order to win, we have to be consistent," Spegal said. "We can’t be good one time and the next to be sloppy. It has to be consistent every time."
Spegal epitomes the word.
Spegal enters the final four as the state’s all-time leading career rusher with 10,430 yards and 170 career touchdowns, which broke Sheridan’s Brett Law’s mark of 141 that stood since 1988.
He owns five state records and 10 school records. A two-time All-State selection, Spegal has rushed for 2,731 yards this season with 50 touchdowns.
Standing along the sideline watching the second string offense operate, Spegal kept his helmet fastened, covered from front to back and side to side in countless achievement stickers.
"I’m not even sure how many there are. It’s been a bunch," Spegal comment on his decorated lid. "I’ve lost track. I don’t have room for more. I don’t even take them anymore."
The grounded team leader wouldn’t accept the accolades even if he was forced.
"He’s just what you want in a player, and again, the humble side of that is even better. He’s who you want your kids to really look up to because as many things as he’s been able to accomplish, he would be the absolute last person that wants to talk about those things," Ralph said. "He’ll talk to you about the wins and how the offensive line played or whatever, but he truly does not care about his own personal accolades. He just wants to win football games."
Spegal knows the count. It takes 11, not one, to win.
Quarterback Lincoln Roth has been just as consistent, passing for 1,526 yards and 19 touchdowns this year. Maxen Hook has 22 receptions for 420 yards and seven touchdowns, while the defense led by Aven Jones (96 tackles, 5.5 sacks) is surrendering a mere 8.7 points per game.
New Palestine has allowed 31 points this postseason and has scored 119. More impressive is how New Palestine is playing up a classification above its enrollment due to the IHSAA’s success factor, Ralph pinpoints.
"It’s a rallying call for our kids. Numbers don’t matter. We really believe in what we call 11 strong, which is our 11 kids that go out there are going to be the best on the field that night, play the hardest for each other the most," Ralph said. "It really doesn’t matter if you have 150 kids or 65 kids or 32 kids. Only 11 play, and we’ve got a lot of confidence in our 11."
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Dragons March Towards a Repeat
What: IHSAA Class 5A Semistate Championship
Who: Bloomington South (8-4) at New Palestine (12-0)
Where: Shepler Field at Kelso Stadium
When: 7 p.m.
Listen: NewPalRadio.com
* New Palestine is ranked No. 1 in Class 5A and hasn’t lost in 26 consecutive game, including 15 straight at home… The Dragons are led by the state’s all-time career rushing leader in Charlie Spegal… New Palestine won the 5A state title last year with a 14-0 record… Bloomington South’s last state title was in 1998.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
