It was 12-round bout, and Decatur Central got off the mat to throw last blow vs. New Pal.
Twelve rounds.
That was the message all week by Decatur Central coach Kyle Enright to his players, and in the final round, the Class 5A No. 7 Hawks delivered the knockout blows Friday night at Devere Fair Stadium.
Down by as many as 14 points in the first half, deadlocked twice and faced with a nine-point deficit late against 4A No. 5 New Palestine (0-2), the Hawks (2-0) rallied for a second straight week with 10 unanswered points in the final 5 minutes, 45 seconds to win, 43-42.
A 46-yard field goal by junior Ashton Vogel — his third at 40-plus yards in the game — cut the fourth-quarter margin to six, but an in-play decision to tuck the ball and run by sophomore quarterback Bo Polston for a 7-yard touchdown with 42.3 seconds remaining ultimately sent the Dragons reeling.
IHSAA football roundup: Week 2 walk-offs, 117-point thriller, more fireworks than July 4
Senior KC Berry’s third-down interception near midfield with 24.3 seconds left sealed the victory. Last week, Decatur Central charged back with three scores in the fourth quarter to beat Columbus North, 18-14.
“We decided to get up off the canvas after getting knocked down and get that last punch,” Polston said.
The Dragons were primed to level the Hawks with their ground game after losing to 6A Westfield, 34-14, in their season opener last week.
Senior running back Grayson Thomas, who is nearly eight months removed from knee surgery, rushed for a career-high 234 yards and four touchdowns, including three straight to put New Palestine ahead 21-7 in the first quarter.
Thomas posted touchdown runs measuring 6, 22, 1 and 52 yards. His longest unfolded on 3rd-and-5, which seemingly put the Dragons in control with 5:50 left on the clock, but the Hawks refused to go down.
“Coach’s point of emphasis was we had to come out and we had to go 12. Like a 12-round fight. We had to go every play hard,” Berry said.
The Hawks’ grit surfaced on their initial drive, as they marched down the field 65 yards on seven plays to lead 7-0 after Polston connected with senior Chris Richmond for a 38-yard touchdown. The duo also connected for a 48-yard touchdown in the second quarter to pull the Hawks within one possession, 21-14.
Polston finished the night with 356 yards passing on 24 of 42 attempts. Richmond led all receivers with 176 yards on six receptions.
A 27-yard rushing touchdown by junior N’Po Dodo tied the score 21-21 with 5:54 left in the first half before senior Breydon LaFollette picked off New Palestine quarterback Gavin Neal to set up Vogel’s first heroic jab.
The Hawks used the final 1:20 of the half to reach New Palestine’s 23-yard line with 2.1 seconds left, where Vogel converted a 40-yard field goal to put Decatur Central up, 24-21.
“If we found out anything in these last two weeks, it’s that our kids will keep fighting until the end. That’s for sure,” Enright said.
A 1-yard rushing touchdown by Dodo late in the third quarter — his second of the night — kicked off a wave where Decatur Central converted on four of its last five possessions.
Vogel accounted for six of the Hawks’ 13 points in the fourth quarter with a 44- and 46-yard field goal. The first cut the Dragons’ lead to 35-33 with 9:00 remaining. Vogel nearly made it 4-for-4, but he missed a 49-yard field goal try in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter.
“Ashton Vogel is a legit Division-I kicker. Touchback after touchback, and his accuracy on field goals over 40 yards; he made a few tonight that he makes every day in practice. Somebody is going to get a great one in him,” Enright said. “He’s an unbelievable weapon for our team.”
The Dragons had five turnovers overall, including two turnovers on downs, and the Hawks capitalized on the last one.
A failed conversion on 4th-and-1 at New Palestine’s 47 gave Decatur Central an opening with 2:19 remaining, and Polston seized his chance.
Polston drove the Hawks down field with two passes to Ra’Rel Carter for 8 and 5 yards on third and fourth down, respectively, before finding Richmond for 26 yards to put Decatur Central 1st-and-goal at the 7-yard line.
The next play, Polston took advantage with his legs for the go-ahead 7-yard touchdown, even though the set was a designed bootleg pass.
“That play was actually a throw to the right, but I saw the opening and had to get in there. Win the game,” Polston said.
The Dragons tried to respond, but back-to-back incomplete passes and an interception by Berry, who also hauled in one pass for 39 yards to sustain a key field-goal drive in the fourth quarter, provided the haymaker.
“They just put me in at the end to make a play. To go out there and stop anything that goes deep,” Berry said. “They said don’t let anything get behind me, so I backed up, and the ball was just coming to me. I just grabbed it and that was that.”
Decatur Central 43, New Palestine 42
New Palestine (0-2);21;0;14;7;--;42
Decatur Central (2-0);7;17;6;13;--;43
DC – Chris Richmond 38 pass from Bo Polston (Ashton Vogel kick), 8:37
NP – Grayson Thomas 6 run (Jake Wells kick), 5:30
NP – Thomas 22 run (Wells kick), 4:19
NP – Thomas 1 run (Wells kick), 41.0
DC – Richmond 48 pass from Polston (Vogel kick), 9:54
DC – N’Po Dodo 27 run (Vogel kick), 5:54
DC – Vogel 40 Field Goal, 0.0
NP – Gavin Neal 4 run (Wells kick), 11:35
NP – Kyler Kropp 9 run (Wells kick), 8:19
DC – Dodo 1 run (2pt failed), 2:53
DC – Vogel 44 field goal, 9:00
NP – Thomas 52 run (Wells kick), 5:50
DC – Vogel 46 field goal, 5:18
DC – Polston 7 run (Vogel kick), 42.3
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA football: Decatur Central rallies past New Palestine
