New Palestine survives tough test from Mount Vernon in Class 4A sectional showdown

Blaine Nunnally steps up with two TD catches, two interceptions

By Phillip B. Wilson

FORTVILLE, Ind. — If unbeaten New Palestine lives up to its No. 1 ranking in Class 4A and runs the tournament table to a state championship, the Dragons will look back at how the postseason journey began with a demanding challenge.

Mount Vernon proved its worth as a proud defending state champion by putting the visiting Dragons in an unfamiliar, precarious position. New Palestine had never trailed in a game until Friday night, when the Marauders took a 24-21 lead in the third quarter.

But on the first play of the final quarter, junior running back Grayson Thomas broke free for a 10-yard TD run to give New Palestine a lead it wouldn’t relinquish and the Dragons added senior quarterback Daniel Tippit’s 16-yard TD run for a 35-24 Sectional 22 triumph.

New Palestine (10-0) made several key plays to endure, but the most unheralded catalyst was senior wide receiver-cornerback Blaine Nunnally. 

At 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, the undersized performer caught two TD passes, came down with two interceptions, and even dove into the end zone to save a punt from a touchback in pinning the Marauders deep.

A three-sport star who also excels as a point guard in basketball and pitcher in baseball, Nunnally thrived in the moment. New Palestine’s game-winning touchdown drive needed a Nunnally 11-yard reception on a third-and-10 pass to the Mount Vernon 24. He finished with six catches for 118 yards.

When Mount Vernon was driving to try to retake the lead, Nunnally jumped a route run by Purdue recruit George Burhenn for an interception and returned the turnover 41 yards to the Marauders’ 16. Tippit scored on the next play for the 11-point final cushion.

“I actually looked over and saw a coach give (Burhenn) a sticks route (signal),” Nunnally said. “The QB stared him down the whole time and I just jumped the route. I knew what was coming before the ball was even snapped.”

That’s Nunnally. He plays every down, both ways as well as special teams. And he’s smart.

“Blaine has been one of the cornerstones of our program for years now,” said 10th-year New Palestine coach Kyle Ralph. “Obviously he’s a little undersized and doesn’t get a lot of the notoriety that some of our other guys get that are more genetically gifted, but he’s an outstanding football player. He’s a ferocious competitor.

“He doesn’t come off the field. He doesn’t make excuses if he’s tired. He wouldn’t tell you if he’s tired. It’s what New Palestine football is all about. Every year, we’ve got kids like him that a lot of people don’t think about or don’t hear of or don’t know of, and all of a sudden, they do something like tonight and it’s like, ‘My God, where’s this kid been?’ Well, he’s been starting for us for three years.”

New Palestine, which won on this field 42-6 in Week 4, got off to a hot start as Tippit threw a 56-yard TD pass to Kyler Kropp. Mount Vernon (6-4) countered with a field goal, the first time a team had scored on the Dragons in the opening quarter. But Nunnally beat a double team deep for a 66-yard TD catch and a 14-3 lead.

Still, this game wasn’t going to play out like the last time these teams met.

Burhenn showed why the Boilermakers covet the 6-5, 205-pound receiver with speed as he caught an Eli Bridenthal pass and broke free for a 92-yard TD reception to close the deficit to 14-10. Burhenn and Bridenthal made plays to keep the home team in it.

Problem is, Nunnally kept making plays, too. His 10-yard TD reception pushed the New Palestine lead to 21-10 in the second quarter.

“His instincts are insane,” Bridenthal said of Nunnally. “You run the same route twice, he’s going to jump it the second time.

“Ever since I’ve been little, he plays all three sports that I play. He’s like my little rival. We’re friends. Not on the field, though. But mutual respect.”

Marauders freshman quarterback Luke Ertel threw an 11-yard TD pass to senior Darnell Stewart to trim the deficit to 21-17 just before halftime.

Bridenthal scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter for the 24-21 lead. Bridenthal finished with a TD pass, a TD rush and eight receptions for 78 yards in addition to 32 yards rushing on seven carries.

“We thought we had ’em,” Bridenthal said. “We had all the momentum. We had ’em on their heels. A couple different plays go different ways, maybe we get the win.

“They’re the No. 1 team in the state in 4A. We had ’em on the ropes. I feel like I gave it my all. I know I can look in the mirror and be happy with myself.”

Ralph said his Dragons refused to be denied after falling behind.

“When we went down, we didn’t push the panic button,” the New Palestine coach said. “We came out and leaned on our offensive line, we leaned on our quarterback and our receivers, we did the things that we normally do. We moved the football down the field and took control of the game again.”

New Palestine responded with an 11-play, 70-yard drive, all but two plays on the ground with Thomas rushing eight times for 34 yards. Aside from Nunnally’s key third-down reception, it was mostly smash-mouth football. Thomas finished with a workmanlike 186 yards rushing on 32 carries.

Although Tippit didn’t complete half of his passes, he made enough key throws to finish with 253 passing yards and three scores. And he finished the scoring with the fourth-quarter keeper.

A defense that struggled early to match up with Burhenn limited the big receiver to a 1-yard shovel pass gain in the second half. He finished with four receptions for 116 yards, most of those on the 92-yard score.

“The way this whole thing laid out with the tournament, the sad thing is somebody is going home,” said second-year Mount Vernon coach John Lidy. “At the end of the night, you don’t want it to be you. Our kids fought to the very end. We had them in spots that they had never been. Our kids executed and we did everything we could to win.”

Nunnally got serenaded with playful “Blaine” chants as he joined his teammates for the postgame speech from his coach.

“This is what we work for every day,” Nunnally said. “Not everything is going to be perfect. Not everything is going to go our way. We were all picking ourselves up. It’s our time. It’s time to show the team we actually are.”

New Palestine vs. Mount Vernon football

Photos from Mark Evrard

Mark Evrard photo