New Prairie football looks to keep up winning standard
NEW CARLISLE, Ind. (WNDU) - New Prairie has set a standard the past three years. The team has won three straight sectional championships and gone 35-8.
Now, the Cougars are focused on continuing that.
“It’s about getting to the best that we can be so we can have that postseason success,” says head coach Casey McKim. “They know that it’s happened before, and that’s the expectation. They’ve seen the kind of work that it takes to have that type of success. Seeing that, being aware of that, used to playing deep into the playoffs, all those extra reps that they got as scout team players when they were younger, those things add up over time.”
“Just doing our jobs and doing what we need to do,” adds senior right tackle James Snyder. “Same as last year, same as the year before. Come out here and do what you need to do.”
The Cougars will have some new faces, including under center where junior Reed Robinson is the first new quarterback in three seasons. He ran for 10 touchdowns as a running back last year.
“Reed really has the ability to create the big explosive play,” McKim says. “He’s one of the fastest kids in our program and our entire school. He’s just a really strong athlete. And so, he has the ability to get some really tough yards in between, but he also has the ability to take it to the house.”
On defense, the leaders are the same. The team’s top two tacklers Hayden Scott and Harrison Groves return, and they’ll have the Cougars playing to their usual style.
“You know, aggression. Not being afraid of anything, never backing down,” Scott says. “When I first started playing, that’s what they instilled into me, and now I’m teaching the younger guys being a senior.”
That mentality will have this senior class ending just as they started — winning in the postseason.
New Prairie opens its season at home next Friday, Aug. 23, against rival LaPorte. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CDT.
New Prairie’s full 2024 regular season schedule is listed below. Home games are in bold. * denotes Northern Indiana Conference matchup.
| Date | Opponent | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 23 | LaPorte | 7 p.m. CDT |
| Aug. 30 | at Goshen | 6:30 p.m. CDT |
| Sept. 6 | South Bend Saint Joseph* | 6:30 p.m. CDT |
| Sept. 13 | at South Bend Adams* | 6:30 p.m. CDT |
| Sept. 20 | a Elkhart* | 6:30 p.m. CDT |
| Sept. 27 | South Bend Riley* | 6:30 p.m. CDT |
| Oct. 4 | at Mishawaka Marian* | 6:30 p.m. CDT |
| Oct. 11 | Penn* | 6:30 p.m. CDT |
| Oct. 18 | at South Bend Washington* | 6:30 p.m. CDT |
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