Bloomington South football team heads to semi-state, faces unbeaten New Palestine on Friday

After back-to-back weeks of squeaking out wins in the playoffs, Bloomington High School South didn’t need the last two minutes of the game to defeat Floyd Central last Friday. The Panthers dominated the Highlanders 55-7 for their third consecutive regional championship. They continue their pursuit of a Class 5A state championship this Friday.

Bloomington South (11-1) now matches up against its toughest competition this season: New Palestine (12-0). The Dragons enter Friday’s Class 5A semi-state game undefeated this season and are one of the best programs in Indiana since head coach Kyle Ralph took over the program in 2013.

Ralph has coached New Palestine to a 153-14 record. The Dragons are also on a 26-game win streak—plus 31 consecutive wins at home. They’re ranked No. 1 in Class 5A. They have averaged 45.8 points on offense this season and have only given up 60 total points on defense.

New Palestine has picked up wins this season against three ranked opponents—No. 10 Plainfield, No. 2 Cathedral, and No. 8 East Central. The last time Bloomington South and New Palestine played each other, at New Palestine, the Dragons dominated the Panthers 45-0 in 2019. Now, the No. 3-ranked Bloomington South Panthers will try to hand the Dragons their first loss this season.

Preparing the Panthers for Friday’s game will be head coach Gabe Johnson, whose teams have compiled a 51–17 record since 2020, which now includes five straight sectional titles and three straight regional titles.

Last Week’s Games

The regional championship win for Bloomington South last Friday included two standout plays: senior wide receiver and kick returner Sam Giles’s 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown; and a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior defensive back Gabe Taylor.

Bloomington South’s defense gave up 323 total yards to Floyd Central’s offense, but shut down the Highlanders in late down situations. Floyd Central scored a touchdown with 25 seconds remaining in the first quarter, but did not put another point on the scoreboard for the rest of the contest.

Junior defensive lineman Derick Willis and senior linebacker Ian Quick both produced nine total tackles to lead the Panthers. In addition to Taylor, junior linebacker Charlie Morris also had an interception, which came in the second quarter. Senior linebacker Ross Ogden led Bloomington South with two tackles for loss.

The offense for South also kept humming through the whole game. The Panthers finished the game with 508 total yards on offense.

Senior running back Braylen Townsend logged his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season. During the playoffs, Townsend has rushed for 56 yards on eight carries against Terre Haute South Vigo, 172 yards on 42 carries against Bloomington North, and 104 yards on 13 carries against Floyd Central.

The other half of Bloomington South’s running back tandem, senior Shaun Cooper, hasn’t piled up many yards in recent games, compared to his output earlier in the season. For the season, Cooper has rushed for 1,064 yards on 154 carries, and remains a dangerous aspect of the Panthers offense.

Through the air, junior quarterback Duncan Combs played a cleaner game last Friday than in previous weeks. Combs finished with zero interceptions after recording at least one in the previous three games, including a three-interception performance in a 33-12 loss to Center Grove to finish the regular season. Combs finished the regional championship win, 10-of-14 for 174 yards and two touchdowns, plus his first rushing touchdown of the season.

New Palestine has been tested the last two weeks—against Cathedral and East Central. However, the Dragons have shut down their opponents on defense. Against Cathedral, New Palestine gave up a season-high 15 points, but came away with a 20-15 victory. Last week, the Dragons defeated East Central 20-6 for their regional championship.

In their win against East Central, New Palestine threw for only 15 yards, which means almost all of its offense came on the ground. The Dragons rushed for 270 yards and two touchdowns. East Central could only muster up 228 yards on offense, as New Palestine shut down the passing attack for the Trojans. East Central had 89 yards through the air and 139 on the ground.

Key Players for New Palestine

Bloomington South’s standouts will be well known to local fans, but the key players for New Palestine to watch during Friday’s game include the following.

Jacob Davis: The senior quarterback has compiled 1,649 passing yards this season, completing 65.8% of his passes. But Davis has had four games with under 100 passing yards. The Towson University commit went 2-of-12 for 15 yards last week. However, Davis knows how to use his legs, and can pick up yards on the ground, including 98 yards last week and 832 total yards for the season.

Caden Jacobia: The senior running back produced 160 yards on the ground last week—a season high for any New Palestine rusher—to bring his season total up to 1,034 yards on 101 carriers. Jacobia has a total of 14 rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.

Brock Brownfield: The senior lineman has been crucial on both sides of the ball for New Palestine. Offensively, the Purdue commit plays left tackle and has continued the tradition of good play at the position for the Dragons. Defensively, Brownfield has produced 33 total tackles and seven tackles for loss.

Desmond Palmer: The senior defensive back is another player for New Palestine committed to an in-state school—Indiana State. Even though Palmer has not recorded an interception and has only 21 total tackles, he shuts down opposing receivers matched up against him.

Garrett Ranes: The senior linebacker and tight end recorded a team-high 15 total tackles last week to extend his team-high total up to 86 this season. He has produced two games with double-digit tackles and 14 tackles for loss. Offensively, Ranes has totaled six catches for 142 receiving yards, including a 2-reception, 79-yard performance against Cathedral two weeks ago.

Sam Hirschy: The sophomore defensive lineman has racked up a team-high 19 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks this season. Hirschy also has produced 55 total tackles, which is tied for second-most on the team. He was one of nine Dragons to be named to the 1st Team All-Hoosier Heritage Conference.

Cameron Rollyson: The senior wide receiver and defensive back has produced 12 catches for 209 yards, but his biggest contribution for New Palestine has been on the defensive end. His 55 tackles are tied for second-most on the team, and he has 12 tackles for loss, numbers that helped him be named to the 1st Team All-Hoosier Heritage Conference.

Friday’s matchup at New Palestine’s Kelso Stadium will start at 7 p.m. The ultimate goal for every school in this season’s IHSAA playoffs is to play at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Nov. 28-29. The 5A state championship will take place at 7 p.m. on Nov. 28.

Highlights from last week’s regional game