Is New Pal a Lock in 5A?

[Fkfootball]

New Pal has a great program. And it says their enrollment is around "1200?" Is that correct? What is it about New Palestine that makes them this good? Is it just Kyle Ralph? Curious question.

[Footballking16]

10 minutes ago, Fkfootball said:

New Pal has a great program. And it says their enrollment is around "1200?" Is that correct? What is it about New Palestine that makes them this good? Is it just Kyle Ralph? Curious question.

Top notch feeder system all the way up to high school. Elite weight lifting program. And the community has fully bought in 100%.

Don't know if New Pal will ever get as big as Center Grove, but it's the exact blueprint that Coach Moore used 25-30 years ago.

Edited September 16, 2025 by Footballking16

[Frozen Tundra]

14 minutes ago, Fkfootball said:

New Pal has a great program. And it says their enrollment is around "1200?" Is that correct? What is it about New Palestine that makes them this good? Is it just Kyle Ralph? Curious question.

As @Footballking16 stated, there are several factors. However, in my opinion, the biggest factor is Kyle Ralph. There was always potential at New Pal but he came in and elevated them to the next level immediately. If you look at what they’ve done since he took over in 2013 it’s really hard not to be blown away. I got to see them in person four straight years (2013-2016) when Columbus East met them in the postseason and I gained a ton of respect for him and his team.

[Footballking16]

5 minutes ago, Frozen Tundra said:

As @Footballking16 stated, there are several factors. However, in my opinion, the biggest factor is Kyle Ralph. There was always potential at New Pal but he came in and elevated them to the next level immediately. If you look at what they’ve done since he took over in 2013 it’s really hard not to be blown away. I got to see them in person four straight years (2013-2016) when Columbus East met them in the postseason and I gained a ton of respect for him and his team.

And with my comments above, it goes without saying that Kyle Ralph is responsible for all that. All the credit in the world to him. 

[Flyingangel]

8 hours ago, Irishman said:

Yes, like I said, it’s 2 years and does not follow the reclassification cycle. New Pal competed in 4A last year and the year before. This is their first year back in 5A due to the success factor. So it will be based on what they do this year and next year. They will not move back to 4A if they come up short of the success points this season. 

As I was told by a new pal coach if they make state this year they move to 6A next year. They don’t have to stay on a class for 2 years. Now your right they can’t go back down because they have 4 points but if they make a run to state they move to 6A even if they don’t win state just making it pushes them to 6A. 
 

that’s the same reason snider didn’t move back down. They had 4 points year prior and you only need 2?? To stay up.

 

teams can move every year up. But down they gotta lose in sectionals two straight years if he told me correctly. 

[Flyingangel]

2 hours ago, HoopsCoach said:

SF points do not accumulate across multiple classes when a team moves up/down.  The points reset when a team changes classes, so New Pal is on a 2 year cycle for the 2025 and 2026 seasons in 5A.  The points they accumulate from the 2025 and 2026 seasons will determine whether they move up to 6A, stay in 5A, or return to 4A in 2027.  Enrollment classifications will happen in the spring of 2026 for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 cycle.  New Pal will stay in 5A for at least the first year of that cycle due to success factor.

They need to straighten this out because there are over half the coaches in state saying you can move up and they do accumulate over 2 classes. It doesn’t reset to 0. Guess we will find out.  

[Footballking16]

2 minutes ago, Flyingangel said:

As I was told by a new pal coach if they make state this year they move to 6A next year. They don’t have to stay on a class for 2 years. Now your right they can’t go back down because they have 4 points but if they make a run to state they move to 6A even if they don’t win state just making it pushes them to 6A. 
 

that’s the same reason snider didn’t move back down. They had 4 points year prior and you only need 2?? To stay up.

 

teams can move every year up. But down they gotta lose in sectionals two straight years if he told me correctly. 

You need 6 points to move up a class under the under the new proposal. A state championship for New Pal only gets them to 4 points. They appear to be in 5A the next two years regardless of what happens this season.

https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/Tournament Success Factor.pdf

[Footballking16]

3 minutes ago, Flyingangel said:

They need to straighten this out because there are over half the coaches in state saying you can move up and they do accumulate over 2 classes. It doesn’t reset to 0. Guess we will find out.  

By-laws state consecutive tournaments in same class. Points reset once you move up or down a class.

 

[Frozen Tundra]

6 minutes ago, Flyingangel said:

As I was told by a new pal coach if they make state this year they move to 6A next year. They don’t have to stay on a class for 2 years. Now your right they can’t go back down because they have 4 points but if they make a run to state they move to 6A even if they don’t win state just making it pushes them to 6A. 
 

that’s the same reason snider didn’t move back down. They had 4 points year prior and you only need 2?? To stay up.

 

teams can move every year up. But down they gotta lose in sectionals two straight years if he told me correctly. 

Snider stayed in 6A because they had only completed one year in 6A. When you bump up, you have a two year window to accumulate the points necessary to remain in that classification (or bump up another classification if you’re not already in 6A).

[23andCounting]

18 hours ago, temptation said:

I know, I know, I know…it’s high school football and anything can happen but are the Dragons the biggest state finals favorite of the 6 classes?

Temp thinks so.

I know the board has mixed feelings on Sagarin but New Pal is currently #1 state wide.

Discuss.

Thumbs down to Sagarin just 4 weeks in. Thumbs up to New Pal. 

After seeing them last year against East Noble, I felt firmly that they were a Top Ten team.......latter half more than likely. Someone in the offseason said they return 18 starters. That was enough to dub them as potential Top 5 this season, and so far, they look the part. I've got New Pal in a lock. Even Merrillville's speed on turf in perfect playing conditions won't be enough to challenge them in my opinion.

Question: The model at New Pal has always been to take the best players and put them on both sides of the football. Presuming that's the case again this season?

[Irishman]

3 hours ago, Flyingangel said:

As I was told by a new pal coach if they make state this year they move to 6A next year. They don’t have to stay on a class for 2 years. Now your right they can’t go back down because they have 4 points but if they make a run to state they move to 6A even if they don’t win state just making it pushes them to 6A. 
 

that’s the same reason snider didn’t move back down. They had 4 points year prior and you only need 2?? To stay up.

 

teams can move every year up. But down they gotta lose in sectionals two straight years if he told me correctly. 

This is the bulletin with the latest changes in the success factor when it was disconnected from the regular reclassification cycle. Based on this, everything is still based on a 2 year span. So NP would not move up after 1 year in 5A if they win State. 

https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/Tournament Success Factor.pdf 

This article confirms it is still based on two years performance in the same class.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2024/12/02/ihsaa-football-how-tournament-success-factor-will-impact-2025-season-indiana-high-school/76707705007/ 

[Boilernation]

3 hours ago, Footballking16 said:

Top notch feeder system all the way up to high school. Elite weight lifting program. And the community has fully bought in 100%.

Don't know if New Pal will ever get as big as Center Grove, but it's the exact blueprint that Coach Moore used 25-30 years ago.

Then throw in Ralph was an All ACC OL at North Carolina and clearly knows how to build a dominating OL. 

[Boilernation]

8 hours ago, Footballking16 said:

Think you'd be more inclined to see Warren kids heading to New Pal as opposed to Mt Vernon. Lawrence Twp has been hemorrhaging kids to Mt Vernon for quite some time now. Probably the best athlete to ever go through Mt Vernon (Luke Ertel top 50 basketball recruit) is a Lawrence Twp kid. 

The times have certainly changed. I was at Purdue from '97 to '01 and knew a decent amount of Geist area kids who went to LC. I'm guessing nowadays it's those neighborhoods who are now going out of district to Mt. Vernon unless they go to Chatard / Cathedral.

[SMAUG]

As a father who has had sons in the program for eight consecutive years including this one, I can honestly say Coach Ralph doesn’t even coach the O-line.  He enjoys working with the DB’s - LOL.

 

[roaringthunderdlr]

1 hour ago, Boilernation said:

The times have certainly changed. I was at Purdue from '97 to '01 and knew a decent amount of Geist area kids who went to LC. I'm guessing nowadays it's those neighborhoods who are now going out of district to Mt. Vernon unless they go to Chatard / Cathedral.

Geist kids are definitely going to Fishers/HSE as well.

[JustRules]

5 minutes ago, roaringthunderdlr said:

Geist kids are definitely going to Fishers/HSE as well.

Lots of Geist kids still go to LN and LC too. The enrollment in both schools is still strong so they are gaining as many as they are losing.

[Fkfootball]

What is their style of play? Are they a line up and pound the rock kind of team?

[Footballking16]

4 hours ago, Boilernation said:

The times have certainly changed. I was at Purdue from '97 to '01 and knew a decent amount of Geist area kids who went to LC. I'm guessing nowadays it's those neighborhoods who are now going out of district to Mt. Vernon unless they go to Chatard / Cathedral.

Bingo.
 

I grew up in the Admirals 25 years ago and it was all LC (unless you went private). Don’t live too far from there these days but would venture to say a lot of kids living there going to a public high school are at either HSE or Mt Vernon.

Edited September 17, 2025 by Footballking16

[Boilernation]

5 hours ago, SMAUG said:

As a father who has had sons in the program for eight consecutive years including this one, I can honestly say Coach Ralph doesn’t even coach the O-line.  He enjoys working with the DB’s - LOL.

 

LOL...Thanks! 

[PHJIrish]

New Pal's biggest game was against Decatur Central.  Cathedral has played Ben Davis, Brownsburg, Cincinnati St. X and Bishop Chatard to date, with Center Grove and Warren Central yet to come.  Don't base your opinions on W's and L's!

[Justasportsfan]

11 hours ago, PHJIrish said:

New Pal's biggest game was against Decatur Central.  Cathedral has played Ben Davis, Brownsburg, Cincinnati St. X and Bishop Chatard to date, with Center Grove and Warren Central yet to come.  Don't base your opinions on W's and L's!

There is that Irish spirit...tell em..Not so fast my friend!

[PHJIrish]

3 hours ago, Justasportsfan said:

There is that Irish spirit...tell em..Not so fast my friend!

Just stating facts.  It's not close enough for sectionals to get too excited.  Besides, I'm an Irish homer!😉

[WestfieldRocks]

19 hours ago, Footballking16 said:

Bingo.
 

I grew up in the Admirals 25 years ago and it was all LC (unless you went private). Don’t live too far from there these days but would venture to say a lot of kids living there going to a public high school are at either HSE or Mt Vernon.

What about Marion Co kids making the trip on US 52 to play at New Pal? Is that happening, or are a huge number of their kids home grown, from elementary on up?

[23andCounting]

7 minutes ago, WestfieldRocks said:

What about Marion Co kids making the trip on US 52 to play at New Pal? Is that happening, or are a huge number of their kids home grown, from elementary on up?

Still wondering if they play a s*** ton of kids both ways. I often wondered how a school of their enrollment competes with 6A programs. I know in the past Coach Ralph put his best players on both sides of the ball. Presuming that's still the case. 

[Footballking16]

8 minutes ago, WestfieldRocks said:

What about Marion Co kids making the trip on US 52 to play at New Pal? Is that happening, or are a huge number of their kids home grown, from elementary on up?

I'm not too versed with New Pal's school make up, but if any kids were crossing county line they're likely coming from Warren or Franklin townships. As New Pal continues to grow so will the demographics. That's a good thing, I believe they are set up well for the long run.