NEW PALESTINE
Grayson Thomas’ 2-yard touchdown run with 17 seconds secured a wild and improbable comeback as defending Class 5A state champion New Palestine stunned Franklin 31-27.
This was a game the Grizzly Cubs appeared to have in the bag, only the bag was torn in the second half as the fifth-ranked Dragons scored 28 unanswered points to cap the rally of rallies.
They started what ultimately was the winning scoring drive on their own 18, the big play a 70-yard pass from Lincoln Roth to Matt Brown that went to the 2. Thomas then ran in it in from there a play later.
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Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“(New Palestine) was not going to quit and it was hard fought to the end,” Franklin coach Chris Coll said. “And we didn’t make the plays when we needed to.”
Franklin (3-6) ends its season on a four-game losing streak. New Palestine (8-1) will travel to No. 4 Whiteland for next week’s sectional final.
The loss really hurt the Grizzly Cubs, considering they played stellar defense for most of the game. Franklin sacked Roth seven times and kept the Dragons from scoring touchdowns when they got deep in Cub territory early.
Big plays by Franklin led to a pair of scores in the first half, the first on a 57-yard score from quarterback Reed Roberts to senior Max Lancer.
Then, when Franklin got the ball back late in the first half, sophomore John Shepard rumbled for 45 yards to the 1. Three plays later, he plunged into the end zone and the Grizzly Cubs had a surprising 14-0 lead.
New Palestine drove to the Franklin 3 at the end of the half, but thanks to a sack, the Dragons had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Brendan Tanksley.
“When we got pressure on them, we caused them problems,” Coll said. “When we didn’t, they gave us trouble.”
At the beginning of the second half, the Dragons started at midfield thanks to an onside kick recovery, but turned the ball over on downs at the 24. Franklin then marched 70 yards, aided by two pass interference calls, and Roberts hit Isaiah Klein from 17 yards out to make it 20-3 with 6:24 left in the third quarter.
Greg Hueston gave the Cubs a defensive score, running in a Roth fumble from the 3 to make it 27-3.
Roth did score on a 9-yard run late in the third, and then connected with Blake Austin for a 69-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth.
Franklin then started to make the game exciting for all the wrong reasons, trying a pass on fourth down instead of punting, and that’s all the Dragons needed to do to come back
New Palestine took the ball at midfield with all the momentum.
“I don’t have a whole lot of voice left. My blood pressure at different points of the game good and bad was at dangerously high levels,” New Palestine coach Kyle Ralph said. “I told them at halftime that we don’t quit, and I think tonight was one of the all-time great examples of that.”
Shepard led the Cubs with 89 yards rushing.
“I told them I’m still proud of them,” Coll said. “We struggled with consistency in finishing drives and games, but we’re still growing and developing as a team.”
With several starters returning for the Cubs, including Shepard, next year figures to be a good one for Coll.
