New Palestine’s Josh Ranes (34) and Jacob Davis (13) celebrate a touchdown in the season-opener against Kokomo.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
HANCOCK COUNTY — A longtime rivalry, another battle between neighbors and a team looking for its first win in a series should make for a competitive Week 4 of high school football among Hancock County teams.
Leading off the three-game week is the second of three head-to-head matchups between county schools.
Class 4A No. 1 New Palestine (2-0, 1-0) travels to Mt. Vernon (0-3, 0-1) to resume one of the state’s oldest rivalries.
The annual Battle for the Boundary Rail is in its 57th year. The teams have played every year since both started high school football programs in 1968.
Including postseason games, Friday’s contest in Fortville will be the 65th meeting.
New Palestine leads the all-time series 39-24-1 and are 16-3 in contests since the traveling trophy was introduced in 2005.
The Dragons are off to a great start, while the Marauders are trying to right their ship after a rough outing a week ago in the first head-to-head matchup of local rivals.
Mt. Vernon led 22-15 at halftime at home against Greenfield-Central, but the Cougars rallied with the first 28 points of the second half and defeated the Marauders 43-29.
New Palestine began defense of its Hoosier Heritage Conference championship with a 41-13 win at Yorktown, the first of three straight road HHC contests.
Friday’s game will have two trophies on the line, the Boundary Rail and the HHC Victory Bell. Both are currently in possession of the Dragons.
Just across the Hancock County border into southern Madison County, Pendleton Heights (2-1, 1-0) will make the short drive to visit Class 4A No. 4 Greenfield-Central (3-0, 1-0).
Four of the last five seasons the Cougars and Arabians have met both in the regular season and postseason.
Greenfield-Central ended Pendleton Heights’ season in 2022 and 2023. The Arabians did likewise to the Cougars in 2019 and 2020.
G-C has won five in a row since Pendleton Heights ended the Cougars 2020 campaign.
Both of the 2023 games were competitive, G-C had to rally from a first-half deficit to defeat Pendleton Heights on the road in the regular season last year, 43-38. The Cougars won the first-round playoff game 27-17.
With a loss at home last week to Centerville, Eastern Hancock (2-1) dropped from No. 3 in the Class 2A poll to a tie at No. 8.
The Royals have another tough challenge Friday at Heritage Christian (2-1).
Eastern Hancock is 0-8 all-time against the Eagles, but did have its most competitive game in the series a year ago, a 24-20 loss in Charlottesville.
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Week 4
Friday Night’s Football Schedule
7 p.m. – Class 2A No. 8 Eastern Hancock (2-1) at Class 2A RV Heritage Christian (2-1)
7 p.m. – Class 4A No. 1 New Palestine (2-0) at Mt. Vernon (0-3)
7 p.m. – Pendleton Heights (2-1) at Class 4A No. 4 Greenfield-Central (3-0)
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Game Capsules
Class 2A No. 8 Eastern Hancock (2-1) at Class 2A RV Heritage Christian (2-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Pat Echeverria, 38-26 in 6th year at Eastern Hancock, 70-82 in 14th year overall. Kyle Ray, 59-29 in 9th year at Heritage Christian.
Recent history: The Eagles have had the Royals number in all eight meetings between the two programs. Last year’s 24-20 loss was the closest matchup of the series.
Sagarin ratings: Eastern Hancock, 60.98, 117th overall, 12th in 2A. Heritage Christian, 63.68, 101st overall, 8th in 2A.
Players to watch: Eastern Hancock — QB Elijah Edon, RB Mark Kube, WR Hayden Jackson, LB Gabe Johnson, LB Ayden Trueblood, WR Eli Manship, TE Kayden Ruble, RB/DL Evan Wheeler, LB Ethan Sipes; Heritage Christian – RB Elijah Pimental, QB Eli Nix, DL Cole Hunt, LB Jonah Hufford, LB Sampson Rook, WR Noah Deerman, WR Andrew Sloan.
What to look for: The Eagles have a strong running attack led by Pimental, averaging 169.3 yards per game and Nix at 83.0. Nix is also an efficient passer with five touchdown passes. The Royals’ health will be a key this week as they had a couple of key players banged up last week in a tough loss to Centerville. Edon (8 TD passes), Kube (124 rushing yards per game), Jackson (98 receiving yards per game), and Manship (59 receiving yards per game0 have all put up big numbers on the offensive side. Johnson coming off a big week on the defensive side with eight tackles, three for loss. He has 8.5 tackles for loss in three games.
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Class 4A No. 1 New Palestine (2-0, 1-0) at Mt. Vernon (0-3, 0-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Kyle Ralph, 129-14 in 12th year at New Palestine; Vince Lidy, 27-13 in 4th year at Mt. Vernon.
Recent history: The Dragons won twice last season, beating the Marauders during the regular season 63-39 at Kelso Stadium and 42-6 in the sectional championship game in November at Mt. Vernon.
Sagarin ratings: New Palestine 79.98, 24th overall, 4th in 4A. Mt. Vernon 66.14, 87th overall, 20th in 4A.
Players to watch: New Palestine —DL Michael Thacker, OL/DL Brock Brownfield, QB Jacob Davis, LB Garrett Ranes, LB/RB Josh Ranes, LB Alex Guhl, WR/DB Cameron Rollyson, TE/LB Mason Oglesby, WR Austin McMahan, RB Max Wiegand, K/P Jake Wells; Mt. Vernon – QB Mason Meyer, RB Joliba Brogan, RB/DB DJ Johnson, WR/DB Gavin Joy, LB Christian Kiptoo, K Rylan Vinard, WR/DB Kolten Anderson, LB Jonah Schroeder, KR Ryker Baer.
What to look for: In typical rivalry fashion, throw the records out the door when the Dragons and Marauders meet. New Palestine is off to a great start with Davis at QB and Ranes leading a multi-faceted rushing attack. Mt. Vernon is looking for its first win, but has a dynamic running back in Brogan. The Marauders will want to bounce back after a rough showing last week against another rival, Greenfield-Central.
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Pendleton Heights (2-1, 1-0) at Class 4A No. 4 Greenfield-Central (3-0, 1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Jed Richman, 50-38 in 9th year at Pendleton Heights, 85-68 in 15th year overall. Travis Nolting, 31-24 in 6th year at Greenfield-Central, 91-52 in 14th year overall.
Recent history: Greenfield-Central won twice last season over Pendleton Heights, beating the Arabians on the road in the regular season 43-38 and later in a sectional opener at G-C 27-17.
Sagarin ratings: Pendleton Heights 69.08, 76th overall, 18th in 4A; Greenfield-Central 73.83, 49th overall, 12th in 4A..
Players to watch: Pendleton Heights — QB Colton Frank, RB Keaton Jones, WR Nate Derolf, WR Jacob Rowley, WR/DB Cooper Sims, LB Nico White, LB Garrett Pederson, DL Jacob Eldridge. Greenfield-Central – QB Dallas Freeman, RB/LB Cooper Hinton, FB Braylen Benavente, RB/DL Payton Foley, DL Zach Blevens, WR Boston Willard, DL Jake VanOsdol, SS Trenton Smith, LB Kody Smith, DB Zach Waterman.
What to look for: The Cougars put their unbeaten record on the line in another tough Hoosier Heritage Conference challenge. They will want to get off to a better start than last week. G-C beat rival Mt. Vernon 43-29, but had to rally in the second half after a seven-point halftime deficit. Freeman was strong in last week’s win as were the running combination of Hinton, Benavente and Foley. Trenton Smith had 14 tackles in last week’s win. PH has scored at least 40 points in each of its three games, including a 48-40 loss in the opener at Lebanon. The Arabians have bounced back with wins over Anderson and New Castle. QB Frank has 8 TD passes and Jones has rushed for six scores.
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2024 Hancock County Football Statistical Leaders
PASSING
Name,School;G;C;A;YDS;PCT;Y/G;TD;INT;RAT
Jacob Davis, New Palestine;3;23;31;428;.742;142.7;5;1;142.1
Dallas Freeman, Greenfield-Central;3;15;26;236;.577;78.7;5;1;111.5
Elijah Edon, Eastern Hancock;3;49;87;668;.563;222.7;8;2;102.1
Mason Meyer, Mt. Vernon;2;12;35;157;.343;78.5;1;1;47.0
RUSHING
Name, School;G;CAR;YDS;AVG;Y/G;TD
Mark Kube, Eastern Hancock;3;60;372;6.2;124.0;4
Joliba Brogan, Mt. Vernon;2;41;229;5.6;114.5;4
Josh Ranes, New Palestine;3;18;320;17.8;106.7;5
Payton Foley, Greenfield-Central;3;11;201;18.3;67.0;4
Cooper Hinton, Greenfield-Central;3;14;180;12.9;60.0;3
RECEIVING
Name, School;G;REC;YDS;AVG;Y/G;TD
Hayden Jackson, Eastern Hancock;3;17;294;17.3;98.0;5
Austin McMahan, New Palestine;3;6;180;30.0;60.0;2
Eli Manship, Eastern Hancock;3;13;177;13.6;59.0;1
Mason Oglesby, New Palestine;3;10;151;15.1;50.3;1
Ryker Baer, Mt. Vernon;2;4;98;24.5;49.0;1
TACKLES
Name, School;G;S;A;T;T/G;TFL
Jonah Schroder, Mt. Vernon;2;12;11;23;11.5;0.5
Trenton Smith, Greenfield-Central;3;11;20;31;10.3.2.0
Christian Kiptoo, Mt. Vernon;2;12;7;19;9.5;2.0
Kolten Anderson, Mt. Vernon;2;10;9;19;9.5;1.0
Gabe Johnson, Eastern Hancock;3;14;12;26.0;8.7;8.5
SACKS
Name, School;G;S;S/G
Gabe Johnson, Eastern Hancock;3;4.5;1.5
Zach Blevens, Greenfield-Central;3;4.0;1.3
Payton Foley, Greenfield-Central;3;4.0;1.3
Jake VanOsdol, Greenfield-Central;3;3.0;1.0
Michael Thacker, New Palestine;3;2.0;0.7
INTERCEPTIONS
Name, School;G;I;I/G
Carson Anderson, Greenfield-Central;3;1;0.3
Connor Jacobia, New Palestine;3;1;0.3
Josh Ranes, New Palestine;3;1;0.3
Cameron Rollyson, New Palestine;3;1;0.3
Zach Waterman, Greenfield-Central;3;1;0.3
PUNTING
Name, School;P;YDS;AVE
Mason Meyer, Mt. Vernon;4;163;40.8
Evan Wheeler, Eastern Hancock;4;134;33.5
John Duncan, Mt. Vernon;5;161;32.2
Jake Wells, New Palestine;4;128;32.0
Cooper Hinton, Greenfield-Central;4;64;16.0
RETURN YARDS
Name, School;K;P;T
Joliba Brogan, Mt. Vernon;132;0;132
Garrett Shaw, Eastern Hancock;116;0;116
Ryker Baer, Mt. Vernon;93;0;93
Cameron Rollyson, New Palestine;65;3;68
Hayden Jackson, Eastern Hancock;58;0;58
SCORING
Name, School;G;TD;CONV;S;K;TP;P/G
Joliba Brogan, Mt. Vernon;2;4;0;0;0;24;12.0
Payton Foley, Greenfield-Central;3;5;2;0;0;32;10.7
Cooper Hinton, Greenfield-Central;3;5;2;0;0;32;10.7
Hayden Jackson, Eastern Hancock;3;5;0;0;0;30;10.0
Josh Ranes, New Palestine;3;5;0;0;0;30;10.0
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2024 IndianaFootball Coaches Association Coaches Poll (Week 4)
6A
1. Brownsburg 3-0 (8) 96
2. Westfield 3-0 (2) 89
3. Warren Central 3-0 74
4. Crown Point 3-0 58
5. Hamilton SE 3-0 52
6. Center Grove 2-1 53
7. Carmel 2-1 33
8. Indpls. Cathedral 1-2 29
9. Lawrence North 3-0 21
10. Ben Davis 1-2 8
Others receiving votes: FW Snider 2-1 (7), Noblesville 2-1 (7), Harrison (WL) 1-2 (6), Elkhart 2-1 (5), Penn 2-1 (4), Columbus North 3-0 (3), Lake Central 2-1 (1)
5A
1. Valparaiso 2-1 (4) 87
2. Decatur Central 1-1 (2) 78
3. Merrillville 2-1 77
4. Concord 3-0 (2) 57
5. Lafayette Jeff 3-0 55
6. Warsaw 2-1 (1) 53
7. East Central 1-2 (1) 44
8. Whiteland 1-1 37
9. Plainfield 3-0 33
10. Bloomington South 2-1 19
10. Castle 2-1 19
Others receiving votes: Bloomington North 2-1 (2), Michigan City 1-2 (2), Kokomo 0-2 (1)
4A
1. New Palestine 2-0 (6) 96
2. Indpls. Chatard 3-0 (4) 93
3. Evansville Reitz 3-0 80
4. Greenfield-Central 3-0 70
5. Leo 3-0 53
6. Martinsville 3-0 49
7. Mishawaka 2-1 21
8. Indpls. Roncalli 1-1 18
9. Columbia City 3-0 17
10. Brebeuf Jesuit 2-1 14
Others receiving votes: New Prairie 2-1 (13), NorthWood 2-1 (13), East Noble 2-1 (10), FW Wayne 1-1 (1), Hanover Central 2-1 (1), SB St. Joseph 2-1 (1)
3A
1. Evansville Memorial 3-0 (6) 96
2. Gibson Southern 3-0 (3) 88
3. Heritage Hills 2-1 (1) 73
4. Guerin Catholic 3-0 65
5. FW Luers 2-1 54
6. West Lafayette 2-1 39
7 Evansville Mater Dei 3-0 33
8. Delta 3-0 29
9. Tri-West 2-1 20
10. Lawrenceburg 2-1 16
Others receiving votes: Mississinewa 3-0 (13), Batesville 3-0 (10), FW Concordia 2-1 (5), West Noble 3-0 (4), Southridge 2-1 (2), Garrett 3-0 (1), Twin Lakes 1-1 (1)
2A
1. Lafayette CC 2-0 (9) 99
2. Brownstown Central 3-0 (1) 67
3. North Posey 3-0 66
4. Indpls. Lutheran 2-1 63
5. Triton Central 2-1 46
6. Adams Central 2-1 40
7. Linton-Stockton 2-1 29
8. Western Boone 3-0 27
8. Eastern Hancock 2-1 27
10. Andrean 1-2 15
Others receiving votes: Heritage Christian 2-1 (14), Lapel 3-0 (10), Monrovia 2-1 (10), Bluffton 3-0 (8), Indpls. Scecina 1-2 (8), Paoli 3-0 (7), Centerville 3-0 (6), South Vermillion 3-0 (6), Tell City 3-0 (1)
1A
1. North Judson 3-0 (10) 100
2. Providence 3-0 85
3. Carroll (Flora) 3-0 78
4. Madison-Grant 3-0 51
5. North Decatur 2-1 46
6. South Putnam 1-2 38
7. North Miami 3-0 35
8. Springs Valley 2-1 33
9. Triton 2-1 29
10. North Vermillion 3-0 23
Others receiving votes: Milan 1-2 (22), Monroe Central 2-1 (18), Frontier 2-0 (10), Pioneer 2-1 (10), Forest Park 2-1 (5), South Newton 2-1 (2), Tri-County 1-2 (2), LaVille 1-2 (1)
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