By: Aiden Hendrickson / Sports Editor and Brody Baker / Sports Editor
As the Dragons look to go back to Lucas Oil Stadium to win back to back state championships, they know the challenges they will face. The Dragons are coming off a 42-7 victory against Plainfield and will host Cathedral at 7 p.m. Nov. 7 for the sectional championship in what they hope to be a deep playoff run.
They’re coming off another undefeated season. They know what it takes to win in the playoffs and are preparing to succeed.
“I think we’re in a pretty good frame of mind. We have a bye week, and both 5A and 6A divisions get that extra week to prepare for the first game. It can be a good and a bad thing, but I think overall our team has handled the bye week really well. We ended the regular season on a positive note, beating Delta, who was a conference champion. The boys have practiced really hard, so I’d say all in all, they’ve done a good job,” head coach Kyle Ralph said.
Moving up a class level is a tough challenge and makes winning in the postseason a lot harder. Facing tougher opponents and bigger and more athletic teams makes playing as mistake free as possible that much more important.
“You’ve got to play really well and be extraordinarily sharp. You can’t turn the ball over. Especially now, moving up a division, we’re going to face bigger schools with more athletes, more depth, and more talent. So we have to play incredibly sharp and as mistake-free as possible, because those teams will take advantage of any mistakes,” Ralph said.
Players’ mindsets don’t change even with it being a win-or-go-home game. They treat every game the same and have the same preparation every week to make sure they’re holding their team to the same standard.
“Personally I’m working harder and harder everyday knowing it could be my last, and with my team I’m holding them to a high standard on and off the field. Make sure we stay watching our scouting reports and study their film and making sure we know the opponent better than they know themselves,” senior Garrett Ranes said.
Winning another state championship would mean a lot, not just for the community, but for the players and coaches. Ending a high school career with a state championship would be special to the Dragons seniors.
“It would be a surreal moment to be able to get another ring with my guys and be able to graduate with another title. It’d also feel great to prove all the doubters wrong about us being just a 4A team who wouldn’t be able to compete with the big 5A schools,” senior Desmond Palmer said.
