Peru Holds Off Tippecanoe Valley In Three Rivers Play
September 5, 2020 at 5:04 a.m.
Peru Holds Off Tippecanoe Valley In Three Rivers Play
By Dale [email protected]
In the grand scheme of things, however, Valley head coach Steve Moriarty felt like his team beat itself.
A week after not committing a turnover in an 18-10 road victory over league foe Northfield, Valley turned the ball over twice in the first quarter and a half against Peru, and four times total.
Still, the hosts were inside the Tigers’ 10-yard line in the final minute, and the action-packed affair ended when Peru blocked junior Joel Cisneros’ 27-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the score with 37 seconds remaining.
“The thing we talked about in the endzone (after the game) is, who beat us,” said Moriarty, whose team fell to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the TRC standings.
“We beat ourselves. We all make mistakes … coaches make mistakes, players make mistakes .. but these are all things that are fixable. In the long run, how does that affect our goals? When it comes down to it, it doesn’t. This loss does not dictate our season. We still have an opportunity to win conference, still have an opportunity to keep the Bell (trophy), and we have an opportunity to win a sectional. But we do have to grow a little bit.”
The Vikings, who held a 6-0 lead in the first quarter before trailing 7-6 at halftime and 21-18 at the end of the third quarter, ran 69 offensive plays to Peru’s 39.
Both teams turned the ball over via fumbles on their respective first drive of the game, and then each punted on their second possession.
The Vikings scored the first points of the game when junior quarterback Branson McBrier connected with classmate Rex Kirchenstien for a 48-yard touchdown pass with 4:56 left in the first quarter.
Peru’s only first-half touchdown came via the legs of junior signal caller Levi Strong, who powered in from two yards out with 9:50 left in the second stanza. The Tigers took the lead with senior Zach Johnson’s PAT kick.
The rest of the scoring all came in the third quarter.
Peru junior Brayden Masters carried the ball 53 yards to paydirt on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, with Johnson’s kick putting the visitors up 14-6.
The Vikings responded with a 1-yard plunge by McBrier, but the ensuing two-point conversion failed, and Valley trailed 14-12.
Freshman Matthew Roet-tger threw a 78-yard pass to junior Matt Ross, and Johnson’s kick gave Peru a 21-12 advantage.
Valley trimmed the deficit again with 13 seconds left in the third quarter when McBrier tossed a 5-yard pass to senior Jaxon Seaney, but again the hosts were unable to convert an extra-point attempt.
After forcing the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs, Valley started its final possession of the game on its own 49-yard line.
Facing a 4th-and-1 on Peru’s 11-yard line, junior Jamasyn Virgil powered his way forward for two yards and a first down.
The Vikings weren’t able to move any closer, and the outcome was sealed with the block of Cisneros’ field goal attempt.
“I think the grit by the kids in the fourth quarter was excellent,” said Moriarty. “We came up with some stops that we needed to, and then we drove all the way down to the 9-yard line, and we just couldn’t get it in.”
Masters led Peru with 95 yards rushing, while Virgil tallied 110 yards for the Vikings, and Valley senior Alex Craft powered his way to 76 yards on the ground before leaving with an injury.
McBrier completed 10 of 20 passes for 138 yards.
The Vikings travel to North Miami Friday.
In the grand scheme of things, however, Valley head coach Steve Moriarty felt like his team beat itself.
A week after not committing a turnover in an 18-10 road victory over league foe Northfield, Valley turned the ball over twice in the first quarter and a half against Peru, and four times total.
Still, the hosts were inside the Tigers’ 10-yard line in the final minute, and the action-packed affair ended when Peru blocked junior Joel Cisneros’ 27-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the score with 37 seconds remaining.
“The thing we talked about in the endzone (after the game) is, who beat us,” said Moriarty, whose team fell to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the TRC standings.
“We beat ourselves. We all make mistakes … coaches make mistakes, players make mistakes .. but these are all things that are fixable. In the long run, how does that affect our goals? When it comes down to it, it doesn’t. This loss does not dictate our season. We still have an opportunity to win conference, still have an opportunity to keep the Bell (trophy), and we have an opportunity to win a sectional. But we do have to grow a little bit.”
The Vikings, who held a 6-0 lead in the first quarter before trailing 7-6 at halftime and 21-18 at the end of the third quarter, ran 69 offensive plays to Peru’s 39.
Both teams turned the ball over via fumbles on their respective first drive of the game, and then each punted on their second possession.
The Vikings scored the first points of the game when junior quarterback Branson McBrier connected with classmate Rex Kirchenstien for a 48-yard touchdown pass with 4:56 left in the first quarter.
Peru’s only first-half touchdown came via the legs of junior signal caller Levi Strong, who powered in from two yards out with 9:50 left in the second stanza. The Tigers took the lead with senior Zach Johnson’s PAT kick.
The rest of the scoring all came in the third quarter.
Peru junior Brayden Masters carried the ball 53 yards to paydirt on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, with Johnson’s kick putting the visitors up 14-6.
The Vikings responded with a 1-yard plunge by McBrier, but the ensuing two-point conversion failed, and Valley trailed 14-12.
Freshman Matthew Roet-tger threw a 78-yard pass to junior Matt Ross, and Johnson’s kick gave Peru a 21-12 advantage.
Valley trimmed the deficit again with 13 seconds left in the third quarter when McBrier tossed a 5-yard pass to senior Jaxon Seaney, but again the hosts were unable to convert an extra-point attempt.
After forcing the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs, Valley started its final possession of the game on its own 49-yard line.
Facing a 4th-and-1 on Peru’s 11-yard line, junior Jamasyn Virgil powered his way forward for two yards and a first down.
The Vikings weren’t able to move any closer, and the outcome was sealed with the block of Cisneros’ field goal attempt.
“I think the grit by the kids in the fourth quarter was excellent,” said Moriarty. “We came up with some stops that we needed to, and then we drove all the way down to the 9-yard line, and we just couldn’t get it in.”
Masters led Peru with 95 yards rushing, while Virgil tallied 110 yards for the Vikings, and Valley senior Alex Craft powered his way to 76 yards on the ground before leaving with an injury.
McBrier completed 10 of 20 passes for 138 yards.
The Vikings travel to North Miami Friday.
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