IHSAA 4A football title game: All you need to know about New Prairie vs. East Central
Setting the table for New Prairie's 4A state football championship game Friday against East Central.
No. 6 New Prairie (13-1) vs. No. 4 East Central (12-2), 3 p.m.
When: Friday at 3 p.m.
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Tickets: $15
Broadcast: Bally Sports Indiana, IHSAAtv.org ($15 per game or $20 for all 6 games)
GETTING TO KNOW NEW PRAIRIE
Location: New Carlisle. Enrollment: 1,002. Nickname: Cougars. Colors: Navy Blue and Old Gold. Ranking: No. 6 in AP, No. 7 IFCA Coaches Poll. Conference: Northern Indiana. Offensive formation: Power Spread. Defensive formation: Multiple, 3-3. Previous state championship appearance: 2014 (lost to New Palestine).
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2022 RESULTS
Regular season: vs. LaPorte W, 35-0; at Goshen W, 33-14; at Lowell W, 24-7, at Marian W, 34-14; vs. Saint Joseph W, 38-7, vs. Adams W, 49-2; at Riley W, 42-21; at Penn L, 21-0; vs. Elkhart W, 35-7. Playoffs: vs. Kankakee Valley W, 47-6; at Lowell W, 42-6; at Hobart W, 49-28; vs. Northridge W, 55-7; at Kokomo W, 10-9.
TEAM LEADERS
Scoring: Noach Mungia 150 points, Marshall Kmiecik 84. Rushing: Mungia 247 attempts, 1,868 yards, 21 TDs. Kmiecik 159 attempts, 1,331 yards, 14 TDs. Passing: Kmiecik 54-of-119, 1,198 yards, 16 TD, 5 interceptions. Receiving: Dallas Ryans 20 catches, 436 yards, 4 TDs. Reece Lapczynski 9 catches, 286 yards, 4 TDs. Defense: Tayvion Ortman 130 tackles, 5 for a loss, 2 sacks, 2 INTs. Hayden Scott 94 tackles, 4 INTs. Nathan Andreysiak 86 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery. Dylan Wilson 64 tackles, 8 for a loss, 6 sacks.
About Coach Casey McKim
Record: 29-9 in three seasons at New Prairie/overall. Age: 36. Occupation: Social studies teacher at New Prairie. College: Purdue (2008). Fun facts: Was a high school teammate of former Notre Dame All-American wide receiver and MLB pitcher Jeff Samardzija on Valparaiso’s 2001 state runner-up team. Was a football manager at Purdue (2004-08) under head coach Joe Tiller.
Indiana high school football:What you need to know for this weekend's IHSAA state finals
NEW PRAIRIE NOTES
Cougars looking for their first state title in any sport ... NP ranks eighth in 4A in scoring offense (35.2 ppg) and tied for second in defensive points allowed with East Central (10.6 ppg) ... Rallied from 10-0 deficit in the final minutes to beat No. 6 Kokomo on the road in last week's semistate, 10-9 ... Only loss of the season came at 6A Penn, 21-0, but Cougars rebounded with a 35-7 win over 6A Elkhart in the regular-season finale.
GETTING TO KNOW EAST CENTRAL
Location: St. Leon (northwest of Cincinnati). Enrollment: 1,305. Nickname: Trojans. Colors: Red, white and black. Ranking: No. 4 in both AP and IFCA Coaches Poll. Conference: Eastern Indiana Athletic. Offensive formation: Multiple. Defensive formation: Odd front. Previous state championship appearances: 1993, 1994 (won), 2015, 2017 (won).
2022 RESULTS
Regular season: vs Lawrenceburg W, 38-3; at Harrison (Ohio) W, 41-17; at Cincinnati Moeller (Ohio) L, 43-14; vs. Franklin County W, 54-0; vs. Bateville W, 35-0; at South Dearborn W, 48-6; at Connersville W, 42-14; vs. Guerin Catholic W, 41-17; vs. Ronalli L, 21-19. Playoffs: vs. Edgewood W, 53-0; at Silver Creek W, 42-6; vs. Martinsville W, 47-0; at Evansville Memorial W, 35-21; vs. Roncalli, W, 24-21
TEAM LEADERS
Scoring: Josh Ringer 228 points, Ryan Brotherton 90. Rushing: Ringer 258 attempts for 2,197 yards and 35 TDs. Passing: Cole Burton 93-of-149 for 1,744 22 TDs and 6 INTs. Receiving: Ryan Brotherton 33 catches, 841 yards and 11 TDs. Defense: Brayden Rouse 77 tackles, 9 for a loss, 5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Dylan Maxwell 72 tackles, 10.5 for a loss, 4 sacks and an INT.
About coach Jake Meiners
Record: 41-9 in four seasons at East Central/overall. Age: 32. Occupation: English teacher at East Central. College: Franklin College (2013). Fun facts: Meiners and his wife Alicia are both graduates of East Central and have four children. Named Indianapolis Colt's "Coach of the Week" on Oct. 10.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Indiana high school football 4A preview: New Prairie vs East Central
