INDIANAPOLIS — The odds were never in the New Palestine Dragons’ favor.
A small-town high school located in southeast central Indiana, New Palestine has a modest enrollment of 1,175. To put their football team’s situation into perspective, in Class 4A, the Dragons would be the 22nd largest in that classification.
In 5A, however, where they have competed the past five years, the deck has been stacked against the football team at every turn as the smallest school in their division.
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Adversity created by their own storied success, but one the coaches and players have embraced, giving rise to mantras like “11Strong” and “Believe.”
Undeniably, prosperity has meant more work for the out-manned Dragons, and no more so than the past five years.
Moved up a classification after winning their first football state championship in 4A, the Dragons leapfrogged to 5A in 2015 due to winning. A win-column trend imprinted onto the program’s psyche no matter how difficult the climb or obstacle presented.
Fuel for New Palestine’s Red Rage, or so it has become with the Dragons’ complete disregard for any opponent’s roster size in comparison to their own, their shrugged reaction to their own limited depth chart and unexpected injuries.
Even the loss of a key starter, like quarterback Lincoln Roth, early in this year’s 5A state championship game, did nothing to derail the Dragons’ unlikely dynasty.
Instead, it revealed its power source as top-ranked New Palestine won its second straight state title 27-20 over No. 2 Valparaiso inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
With Roth sidelined with a right-leg injury, backup Eric Roudebush stepped in and nothing changed. “It just shows how hard our guys play for each other. We grew up with each other, so we’ve been doing this for 10-15 years. To do it in a state championship, not give up on each other to win that game, it means everything,” New Palestine senior Maxen Hook said.
Many teams in the same scenario would have crumbled, locked in a 7-7 tie during the battle of unbeatens with Valparaiso, but the Dragons are instinctively trained to persevere.
“It’s incredible what these guys have been able to accomplish by focusing, playing for each other and playing hard,” New Palestine head coach Kyle Ralph said. “The commitment that it takes to do what these guys do is really special because so many kids, teenage kids especially, even adults I’d say to be honest, aren’t willing to put in the work it takes to do what these guys do. You can’t say enough about them. Our program, our community, myself, our coaches are forever indebted to what these kids sacrifice to get us where we are now.”
Roth sacrificed his body, absorbing a crippling blow while being sacked on third-and-6 on the Dragons’ own 32-yard line late in the first quarter during the state title game.
The sophomore put the Dragons ahead 7-0 with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Blake Austin on New Palestine’s opening drive. Two possessions later, though, he would walk off the field for good, limping as Roudebush took over.
“You want to be out there with your team, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” Roth said. “But I was 100 percent confident in (Roudebush). He’s been prepared all year, no matter what game, from Kokomo to now, he’s been ready for when his time was called, and he did a great job for the team. We knew it was going to take everyone to win. Not one guy was going to beat a team like that.”
Valparaiso, a former 6A team with an enrollment of 2,054 that dropped down to 5A due to the IHSAA’s recent classification realignment, was a threat to end the Dragons’ reign.
But, the Dragons don’t care about the odds. Commitment supersedes the insurmountable, and they cleared every hurdle to capture their first back-to-back state titles with a 28th straight victory for three championships in six years.
“We’re playing a division above of what we’re supposed to be, so there’s more adversity in that with depth and size. Our guys, it doesn’t phase them. They know it’s a four-quarter game, and we’re going to keep playing hard until the last second expires,” Ralph said.
“There just aren’t many teams that have to play schools that are 1 1/2 or two-times their size almost and do the things that we are able to accomplish. We’re really proud of that. It’s a rallying call for our kids. Numbers don’t matter.”
The collective whole outweighs the one, New Palestine senior running back Charlie Spegal emphasized as he lined up to get his state medal shortly after receiving a massive bear hug from Ralph, who congratulated each of his seniors on Friday night, individually.
Spegal will graduate the state’s all-time leading rusher with 10,867 yards and 173 rushing touchdowns in his career. His final touchdown run, an 80-yard dash to give New Palestine a 17-10 lead, required 17 seconds.
Spegal’s rushing total against Valparaiso was 160 yards on 23 carries, which was the lowest he’s posted this season. He didn’t care.
“It means I have two state titles,” Spegal said. “It’s special. It’s a special bond we have together. It’s something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”
Like a Sea of Red, the Dragons aren’t into egos. They’re into winning together, whatever it takes, and they’ve made it their identity regardless of the probability, claiming three state titles in four championship appearances with a mindset for more.
“That’s what makes our program special. Whether I said it or not, most of those (underclassmen) kids will be back in the weight room on Monday at 2:40 (p.m.), whether I told them to be there or not, they’ll still show up and get the job done. It’s what makes this group special,” said Ralph, who is 88-4 since 2013 at New Palestine.
“The senior leadership that we had, those are the guys that set that standard, that example of what it takes to be a Dragons football player. It’s so incredible what these guys have accomplished by just focusing and playing together.”
