Teams find out sectional foes

It will be Columbus East vs. New Palestine Part IV on Oct. 21.

The Class 5A No. 4 Olympians (6-1) will meet the 5A No. 2 Dragons (7-0) in the opening round at New Palestine. The teams have meet two of the previous three years in the tournament, with the Olympians winning in 2013 and the Dragons prevailing the past two years.

“That’s been a familiar opponent for us in the tournament, so we’re going to find out early if we’re good enough,” East coach Bob Gaddis said. “I’m sure our kids will be fired up to play them. It’s become a good traditional rivalry in the tournament.”

The winner of the East-New Palestine game will host Whiteland in the sectional semifinals Oct. 28. The winner of that game would meet Franklin or Whiteland for the sectional title Nov. 4.

The Olympains drew its sectional’s play-in game for the second year in a row.

“If you’re going to win the tournament, you’re going to have to beat New Pal,” Gaddis said. “They’re obviously a great opponent.”

Meanwhile, Columbus North will visit New Albany (5-2) Oct. 28 in the sectional semifinals in Class 6A. All 6A teams will be off on Oct. 21.

The Bull Dogs (7-0) are ranked No. 5 in Class 6A.

“It’s a little different this year because we have a bye the first week,” North coach Tim Bless said. “I came into it open minded because we’re going to have an extra week to prepare.”

If the Bull Dogs win, they likely would host Class 6A No. 2 and defending state champion Center Grove in the sectional final. The Trojans have knocked North out of the sectional four of the past five years.

“On paper, that (draw) looks really good,” Bless said. “But we can’t look ahead to the sectional championship. New Albany is a team that is loaded with athletes.”

In Class 4A, Jennings County will host Madison on Oct. 21. If the Panthers win, they would host Seymour or visit Silver Creek in the semifinals.

Brown County will visit Brownstown Central in the opening round in Class 3A. If the Eagles win, they would host Corydon Central or visit Salem.

In Class A, Edinburgh will visit North Decatur in the first round. If the Lancers win, they would host Oldenburg Academy or West Washington in the semifinals. South Decatur received a first-round bye and will visit Springs Valley or Eastern Greene in the other semifinal.