NEW PALESTINE — They weren’t on the field long, but they provided the spark — and most of the points — in New Palestine’s 29-7 Class 5A Sectional 14 semifinal win over Franklin last week.
Special teams were just that at Kelso Stadium on an inclement Friday night.
A kick return for a touchdown, two field goals, three extra points and a safety accounted for 17 points in the win that put New Palestine in a sectional championship game for the eighth time in nine years under head coach Kyle Ralph.
The Dragons (7-3) welcome Whiteland (6-3) in a rematch of last year’s sectional title game on Friday at 7 p.m. at Kelso Stadium. Whiteland won last year’s game 48-13 at Whiteland.
“We try to be really aggressive on special teams and make those big momentum plays, those big game-changing plays,” New Palestine special teams coach Wes Anderson said. “It can be really demoralizing for an opponent.
“We’ve been in that boat. We’ve had a kick returned on us this year and had a punt blocked in Week 2. We’ve been on the other side of that coin a little bit this year. When it’s rainy and windy and you can’t throw, making a scoring play or two on special teams can really tip the scales in your favor.”
In addition to the special teams’ points, New Palestine’s kicking game never gave Franklin good starting-field position. Beginning the second half at their own 30 was the Grizzly Cubs’ best field position of the night. Their average start was at their own 21. Three times they started inside their own 20.
A 33-yard return on the opening kickoff by Isaiah Thacker put the Dragons at the New Pal 44. The drive ended in the game’s first points, a 22-yard field goal from kicker Brendan Tanksley.
“I feel like special teams are big because they can set the tone of the game,” Thacker said. “On the opening kick if you make a big hit it sets the tone, or if you get a big kickoff return.”
Special teams set up the next score, too.
Ready to punt from their own 27, Franklin’s center snap went over punter Jeff Shepard’s head. He had no chance in getting away from the Dragon rush and was tackled at the 5. Three plays later, New Palestine quarterback Damon Hockett scored a touchdown. Tanksley added the PAT for a 10-0 lead.
It got worse for the Grizzly Cubs punting unit.
On their next possession, Franklin was in punt formation at its own 22. This time the snap went into the end zone. Five Dragons were there to meet Shepard and record a safety. It gave the Dragons a 12-0 advantage.
On the ensuing free kick, Thacker had graduated from setting the tone to helping put the game away. He went 65 yards for a touchdown.
“We were 10-for-10 on blocks on that,” Anderson said. “We executed that thing to a tee.”
Early in the second quarter New Palestine led 19-0 with most of its contributions coming from special teams. It got more before halftime.
On an untimed down due to a Franklin penalty, the Dragons extended the lead to 22-0 on a Tanksley 40-yard field goal. It was the longest of his career. Freshmen kicker Jake Wells also had a 40-yarder earlier this season.
“Forcing (Franklin) into some mistakes and making them drive the ball was one of our goals going into the game,” Anderson said. “We really wanted to make them have to go the full length of the field. I thought our kickoff team did an incredible job. The safety was a huge play and the kickoff return right after that was a huge play. Tank kicked a career-long 40-yarder which made it a three-score game into the locker room. It was one of our better nights (on special teams) all year.”
“With all the (weather) elements, it was great that we were able to pull through and get our job done,” Tanskley said of the special teams units. “I know I made a big kick, but I didn’t have the best of games because of the weather. I feel like everybody made some mistakes, but it was good we overcame and fixed those mistakes.”
Franklin cut it to 22-7 with an impressive 8:37 drive toward the end of the third quarter.
The Dragons added an even longer scoring drive, 11:38 to end to seal the win.
With Franklin on the move, Ralph called that drive something his club desperately needed to have to wrap up the victory. He noted the importance would have been even higher if not for the play of the Dragons special teams.
“(The special teams plays were) even bigger as you look what happened in the second half,” the coach said. “The safety, kickoff return combo gave us nine points. Really, at the end of the game you’re looking at 13-7 (before our last possession) and you are under a one score ball game at that point.
“It would have made that last drive more critical and more intense had that (nine-point) situation not happened. Our special teams came and played well. Those are two huge plays back to back, but that really changed the complexion of the game entirely. We were not moving the ball well on offense. Our defense did a great job and our special teams did an excellent job also.”
Ralph said the unit has got better as the season progressed, finally finding the right combinations of players around the latter third of the regular season. He expects them to be crucial again when they take on the Warriors for a sectional championship.
“I think our special teams are playing really well right now and that has to continue,” Ralph said. “If you can win that phase of the game, then the odds are, if you can win one of the other two (phases), then you are going to win the ball game.”
