Football sectional pairings revealed

New Palestine’s football team has won 22 games in a row and 82 of 86 overall under coach Kyle Ralph.

A deep postseason run for either Franklin or Whiteland this season will require slaying those Dragons.

The sectional brackets revealed on Sunday evening put New Pal, the defending Class 5A state champion, at Whiteland for a semifinal game on Nov. 1. The other semifinal in that bracket will have the Grizzly Cubs hosting Seymour.

Should Franklin win, it would play at the Dragons or the Warriors with a chance to win just its second sectional championship and its first since 1984.

In Class 6A, Center Grove begins its postseason journey with a Nov. 1 road trip to Columbus East. If the Trojans can take care of the Olympians, they’ll be home the following week to face either Columbus North or Franklin Central with a shot to win a ninth consecutive sectional title.

Greenwood has to travel south to Madison in its Class 4A opener next Friday. Get through that game, and the Woodmen would earn a very tough semifinal game against either No. 2 East Central or ninth-ranked Silver Creek.

Roncalli hosts winless Frankfort in its opening-round game. A victory there would send the Rebels to either Crispus Attucks or Beech Grove.

In Class 3A, Indian Creek faces a first-round trip to Terre Haute to play against West Vigo. Should the Braves win that, they’ll face either Danville or Tri-West in the semifinal round.

Edinburgh got a pretty ideal draw in Class A, with the four best teams in its sectional — including top-ranked Indianapolis Lutheran — all on the other side of the bracket. The Lancers will open at Indiana School for the Deaf next Friday; if they advance, they would host Park Tudor in a Nov. 1 semifinal game.