A lot of eyes in the Hoosier Heritage Conference were on Kelso Stadium tonight, and the host New Palestine Dragons turned a lot of heads in a 24-14 victory over Delta. A lot happened -- Delta's 19-game regular-season win streak was snapped, the HHC helmet left northern Delaware County for the first time since 2008, and the HHC race is wide-open.
NP won with a relentless running game -- sophomore Matt Siergiej was pinballing off tacklers from his first carry, and he set the tempo for the night when he bounced off of and twisted out of several would-be tackles on an electrifying 20-yard TD run late in the first quarter. That gave the Dragons a 7-0 lead, and they wouldn't look back. Siergiej carried the ball a lot in the second half as NP tried to milk out the clock, and he kept getting stronger. He had 138 yards on 25 carries, while senior Austin Cahoy had 95 yards on 19 carries and two TDs. They -- combined with an impressive offensive line -- helped NP roll up a nearly 2:1 advantage in possession time.
The Dragons also won with a defense that was flying to the ball. Delta's rushing game is always feared, and the Eagles have a stout offensive line and a good fullback in Zach Overfield. But the Eagles were held to 60 total yards on the ground, forcing Ozzie Mann to throw the ball -- which he does very well (and did tonight). But NP's defenders forced four turnovers -- two interceptions, two fumble recoveries -- and didn't allow Delta to get into enough of a rhythm. Delta hit on a few medium-depth plays -- 25-to-30 yard passes -- but the Eagles weren't really able to sustain much consistent offense.
NP was patient, was largely mistake-free -- although coach Tim Able would probably like to see fewer than the 83 penalty yards his team amassed tonight, it had no turnovers and its line was made up of road-graders in the running game -- and was relentless on defense. That can be a recipe for success in the future -- a future that continues with a game at Pendleton Heights next week.
Elsewhere in Hancock County
Mt. Vernon 46, Yorktown 21: The Marauders jumped up early -- taking a 17-0 lead after a quarter and scoring 39 in the first half -- in an impressive road victory to open league play. MV plays its final nonconference game next week against Connersville in what will be the Marauders' home opener and a game in which MV will honor former MVHS teacher/coach Tim Adams, so we're excited to be there and broadcast it as our Game of the Week.
Pendleton Heights 31, Greenfield-Central 14: That's back-to-back big wins in a row for the Arabians -- who beat Yorktown last week -- setting up a showdown with New Palestine next week at PHHS. It'll be the Arabians' pass -- led by accurate-armed QB Mitch Patishall -- against the Dragons' running game that was so impressive tonight. G-C travels to Delta next wee.
South Decatur 56, Eastern Hancock 0: The Royals fall to 0-2 in the Mid-Indiana Football Conference after the loss on the road. South Decatur still hasn't allowed a point this season.
Elsewhere in the HHC
Rushville 39, Howe 22: Howe is much-improved. Rushville has had two very impressive results so far in the non-conference season. How the Lions fare next week against Shelbyville will be telling as far as their season, but they're in the discussion among the HHC's top teams.
Franklin 13, Shelbyville 7: This is the surprising result of the night. Shelbyville's defense looked good last week against Greensburg, while Franklin had struggled of late.
Standings
HHC
Pendleton Heights 2-0 HHC, 2-0 overall
Mt. Vernon 1-0 HHC, 1-1 overall
New Palestine 1-0 HHC, 1-1 overall
Rushville 0-0 HHC, 2-0 overall
Shelbyville 0-0 HHC, 1-1 overall
Delta 0-1 HHC, 1-1 overall
Greenfield-Central 0-1 HHC, 1-1 overall
Yorktown 0-2 HHC, 0-2 overall
Next week (Friday, Sept. 3)
Connersville at Mt. Vernon, 7 p.m. (Listen Live)
Greenfield-Central at Delta, 7 p.m.
New Palestine at Pendleton Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Shelbyville at Rushville, 7 p.m.
Yorktown at Muncie South, 7 p.mm.
Mid-Indiana Football Conference
Tonight's other scores
Greenwood 27, Indian Creek 26
Milan 19, Batesville 14
North Decatur 42, Edinburgh 32
Heritage Christian 42, Triton Central 33
Standings
North Decatur 1-0 MIFC, 2-0 overall
South Decatur 1-0 MIFC, 2-0 overall
Indian Creek 1-0 MIFC, 1-1 overall
Triton Central 1-0 MIFC, 1-1 overall
Milan 0-0 MIFC, 2-0 overall
Eastern Hancock 0-2 MIFC, 0-2 overall
Edinburgh 0-2 MIFC, 0-2 overall
Next week (Friday, Sept. 3)
Indian Creek at Eastern Hancock 7 p.m.
Edinburgh at Heritage Christian, 7 p.m.
Milan at Lawrenceburg, 7 p.m.
North Decatur at Triton Central, 7 p.m.
South Decatur at Broad Ripple, 7 p.m.
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