Pregame look: #1 Dragons vs. #5 Arabians

It's almost gametime as the top-ranked New Palestine Dragons (11-0) take on the fifth-ranked Pendleton Heights Arabians (10-1) in a battle for the Sectional 13 championship. This is one of a handful of games in the state pitting two ranked teams, and one of the biggest games in a long time to be played on the Shepler Field turf.

Our crew is excited to bring you the game Friday night. Click here to join Andrew Smith, Mike Jackson and Chris Lambert for the play-by-play call at 6:30 p.m. 


The Dragons and Arabians have been two of the state’s top teams this season. They were 1-2 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference, both rank in the Top 5 in the Associated Press poll and are third and fourth in the Sagarin computer rankings.

Previous meeting: The Dragons won 34-21 on Sept. 2. Both teams have gone undefeated since. It was the most points each team has given up all season. Dragon QB Connor Simmons had one of the best games of his career, completing 22-of-26 passes for 287 yards and 5 TDs. WR Josh Penley had 151 receiving yards and three TDs – one yard shy of the school record for receiving yards in a game. WR Brandon Collins also had a big game, with 103 yards and two TDs. NP nose tackle Chris Wolf had three sacks and 10 tackles in the game defensively. The Arabians’ Mitch Patishall completed 21-of-41 passes for 221 yards and a TD. Cody Cochran (8-75) and Jacob Lyons (4-60) were his top receivers. Jon Furrow ran for 84 yards to lead the Arabians’ rushing attack, which gained 164 yards on the ground. Austin Monday’s 48 yards led a Dragon ground game that gained 64 total yards on the ground. 

Scouting Pendleton Heights: Pendleton Heights is in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history. The Arabians are currently 10-1, and possess Class 4A’s second-highest scoring offense (41.9 ppg) and top scoring defense (10.5 ppg). In addition, the Arabians lead Class 4A in win margin (+31.45 ppg). That margin is ninth-best among the 315 football-playing schools in Indiana. Since the loss to the Dragons on Sept. 2, PH’s defense has allowed just eight touchdowns, and the offense has scored at least 31 points in every game since. The offense is led by senior QB Mitch Patishall, a three-year starter who has thrown for 1,347 yards and 17 TDs this season. He has completed 60 percent of his passes. The Arabians also sport two 1,000-yard rushers in senior Jacob Lyons (1,341 yards, 13 TDs) and junior Jon Furrow (1,173 yards, 16 TDs). Add in third RB Clint Nicholson in the three-back run-and-shoot set, and PH has three backs who all average more than 7 yards per carry. The four starting backs have combined for 3,220 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns. Junior WRs Austin Coffel (22-363, 4 TDs) and Kurt Talbert (20-315, 1 TD) are the top receivers for a balanced passing attack. PH’s stout defense is led by Steffan Slick (8 sacks, 12 TFL), Kaleb Newell (7 sacks, 21.5 TFL), Jake Stilwell (6 sacks, 15.5 TFL) and Patrick Butler (129 tackles, 5 sacks, 13.5 TFL). Chandler Wilson (3 INTs) and Furrow (2 INT) are tops in interceptions. Furrow is also one of the state’s more accurate kickers, hitting 7-of-10 field goals and 60-of-62 PATs. 

Scouting New Palestine: The Dragons posted a 62-0 victory over Muncie Central in the sectional 1^st round, and followed up with a 27-14 victory over Delta last week. NP trailed 14-0 in the first eight minutes, but rallied behind 241 passing yards and four touchdowns passes from QB Connor Simmons. His 71-yard TD pass to Tyler Walden got the Dragons on the board in the first, and then he threw three straight touchdowns to Josh Penley of 11, 20 and 28 yards. The Dragon running game helped shorten the game in the second half, led by Austin Monday’s 92 yards. He had 82 of those after halftime. Walden had 105 receiving yards on the night, while Penley had 59 and Brandon Collins four catches for 47 yards. Simmons became the school’s career passing yardage and touchdowns leader in the victory. NP’s defense also held the Eagles’ high-powered offense off the board after the first quarter, forcing two fumbles and holding Delta on downs deep in its own territory. Simmons has thrown nine touchdown passes in the tournament and 34 for the season. Simmons holds virtually every school passing record, while WRs Brandon Collins and Josh Penley are climbing the ladder to set the school receiving records. In addition, the "Red Rage" defense has posted three shutouts this season, the first time a Dragon team has accomplished that feat since 1996.

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