By Adam Rouse
Staff Writer
NEW PALESTINE â??? Senior Eric Alcorn rushed for 273 yards and scored on runs of 89 and 78 yards to lead New Palestine to a 19-7 win over visiting Mississinewa Oct. 28 in Class 3A Sectional 21 action. Both teams came into the contest with matching 8-2 records, but it was the Dragons of New Pal who looked the part of an eight-win team.
â??Itâ??s always good to get this far,â? said New Palestine head coach Doug Armstrong. â??Itâ??s one of the most difficult things in high school sports to get through to win the sectional. At least we have a chance to do that (next week).â?
The Dragons will indeed to get a chance to defend their sectional title against Mount Vernon, who defeated Rushville, next week.
â??Itâ??s huge,â? said Alcorn. â??Itâ??s (winning sectional) what weâ??ve talked about since day one.â?
Paced by Alcorn, the Dragons (9-2) rushed for 301 yards and used a pair of big running plays to get the lead.
Meanwhile, the Mississinewa Indians (8-3) had opportunities galore inside New Palestine territory but were unable to take advantage. Eight of nine Indian drives went past the 50-yard line into New Palâ??s half of the field; only one drive resulted in points, which was the Indiansâ?? initial drive of the game.
In fact, consider this. Mississinewa ran 36 plays in the second half. Twenty-five of those plays were run in New Palestine territory and the Indians were able to put zero points on the scoreboard. All four second half drives went past the 50 and each drive ended after Mississinewa went for it on fourth down and failed.
The Indians did score first after getting an early turnover.
After junior defensive back Beau Corey intercepted Dragonsâ?? quarterback J.D. Hill on the first play from scrimmage, Mississinewa scored six plays later on a 12-yard touchdown run up the middle from senior Dustin Tyler to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Little did the Indians know it would be their only scoring drive of the night.
New Palestine responded with a 10-play, 81-yard drive that ended with an easy seven-yard touchdown pass from Hill to senior Brandon Hockett. Hill was able to find Hockett sitting wide open in the left corner of the end zone after Indian defenders bit on the play action.
After the Indians fumbled the snap at the Dragonsâ?? 10-yard line, New Pal scooped it up and the â??Eric Alcorn showâ? began in earnest. On the first play of the drive, Alcorn took the ball and sprinted to the left side and was able to get around the corner eluding several Mississinewa defenders on his way to a 89-yard touchdown run to give New Palestine a 13-7 lead (extra point missed) with 9:02 left in the half.
Neither team was able to move the ball the rest of the quarter, and the Dragons took a 13-7 lead into halftime.
The Indians got the ball after the break and went on another long drive into New Palestineâ??s half of the field. With first and 10 from the Dragonsâ?? 13, Mississinewaâ??s offense once again went into stall mode. A false start penalty on first down didnâ??t help matters and junior quarterback Justin Branock was sacked in between a pair of incomplete passes to end the scoring threat.
Deep inside its own territory, New Palestine turned to its home run hitter on first down. Mr. Alcorn was happy to oblige as he ripped off an amazing 78-yard touchdown run that saw him race down the left sideline then cut back into the middle and outrun defenders to increase the Dragonsâ?? lead to 19-7 with 6:08 remaining in the third quarter. It would be the last time points would be scored in the contest.
â??I try to let the big guys get in front of me,â? said Alcorn. â??It makes it 20 times easier.â?
The senior running back was impressive all night as he also had rushes of 32 and 16 yards.
â??Heâ??s a great talent,â? Armstrong said. â??He just has a knack of making plays.â?
Hill finished with 75 yards on 4-of-8 passing and a touchdown, while throwing a pair of interceptions.
The Indians were able to move the ball, gaining 203 yards on the ground and 92 through the air, but could never take advantage of key opportunities after scoring on their first drive of the game.
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