IHSAA 4A football preview: New Prairie unfazed by bright lights during state title week
New Prairie seniors Tayvion Ortman, Dallas Ryans, Noah Mungia got a first-hand look at the massiveness of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Monday.
It's not as big as their dreams.
The preview was a "Hoosiers" moment for the team from little New Carlisle that will play Friday at the home of the NFL Colts for the school's first ever state championship in any sport. The sixth-ranked Cougars (13-1) will battle No. 4 East Central (12-2) for the IHSAA 4A state championship. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
"The very first thing we said is we aren't just happy to be here," New Prairie head coach Casey McKim said after returning from Indianapolis for meeting obligations. "We have a job to do, have to take care of business and will be focused on winning this game. Let's just be 1-0 this week and focus on the things that matter."
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New Prairie practiced this week at an indoor facility in LaPorte, as well as a session in Notre Dame's Indoor Athletics Complex to prepare for the domed conditions at Lucas Oil.
What mattered this week for the Cougars, according to McKim, is knowing assignments, focusing on the game plan, and playing their best football of the season for one more game.
That has been the formula that led New Prairie to one of its most successful season in program history.
The Cougars haven't lost since Oct. 7 at Penn (21-0). It was the only time all season they looked vulnerable.
"It created a mindset in our guys that there is another level," McKim said. "There is someone there doing it a little better and that's why you have to be the best version of yourself."
Over the last month, not many teams have been better than the Cougars, especially in the playoffs where they have outscored their opponents 203-56.
East Central (12-2) has been just as dominant defensively, posting shutouts in two of its five playoff games, looking to win its first title since 2017.
"A very fast and physical team," McKim said of East Central. "Not quite as big as Kokomo (which New Prairie beat 10-9 to reach Indy). But very physical and fast."
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Of course, McKim believes his New Prairie team has all the necessary ingredients to finish the season as the last 4A team standing, like his 1,000-yard rusher in Mungia, a 1,000-yard passer in junior quarterback Marshall Kmiecik and a defense, led by Ortman and Ryans that has allowed more than 10 points only once in nearly two months.
"It would be the first team state championship at New Prairie," McKim said. "It would mean the world to our community and would be the realization of the talent and effort put in over the years in this program. It would be a culmination of all of those things."
IHSAA FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHUPS
FRIDAY
CLASS 2A
• No. 5 Andrean (10-3) vs. No. 6 Evansville Mater Dei (11-3), 11 a.m.
CLASS 4A
• No. 6 New Prairie (13-1) vs. No. 4 East Central (12-2), 3 p.m.
CLASS 6A
• No. 5 Carroll (13-0) vs. No. 4 Center Grove (11-2), 7 p.m.
SATURDAY
CLASS 1A
• No. 2 Adams Central (14-0) vs. No. 1 Indianapolis Lutheran (14-0), 11 a.m.
CLASS 3A
• No. 6 Indianapolis Chatard (10-4) vs. No. 9 Lawrenceburg (12-1), 3 p.m.
CLASS 5A
• No. 9 Valparaiso (10-3) vs. No. 2 Whiteland (12-1), 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA 4A football state championship preview: New Prairie East Central
