Tippy Valley Bests Wawasee In 2022 Gridiron Opener
August 20, 2022 at 4:03 a.m.
Tippy Valley Bests Wawasee In 2022 Gridiron Opener
By Connor McCann-
With green shirts and jerseys on both sides of the stands, the Vikings opened the game with the ball to the roar of their fans. Utilizing the running game on the inside and out, Tippy Valley began the game on a 16-play, nine-minute drive that was punctuated by an eight-yard run by junior Nate Parker for his first of two touchdowns in the first 24 minutes. The Warriors had an opportunity to get off of the field on fourth down near the red zone, but an encroachment call would set up the touchdown just plays later.
Parker was the bell cow for the Vikings all night long, finishing with 92 yards on 18 carries. Parker also started the game at quarterback, throwing just one pass, a 12-yard completion to Markus Bernicky. He would give way to Cody Eastgate, who would handle most of the quarterbacking duties for the remainder of the game.
“We try to get [Nate] the ball as much as we can. Him being able to play quarterback as well as halfback just makes it that much easier,” Valley head coach Steve Moriarty said.
Wawasee’s opening drive ended quickly on an interception by junior Mason Shoemaker on just the third play of the sequence. Defensive lineman and birthday boy Landon Durkes was able to get his hands on the ball for Valley. An unsportsmanlike penalty would move the ball back 15 yards. It wouldn’t matter much, as just a few plays later, a fumble was called after a Valley receiver lost the ball after a 12-yard catch.
While the Warriors were able to hold their own defensively against a bully of a Viking offensive line, it was the offensive side of the ball that Wawasee struggled mightily on. The Warriors had two gains of at least 30 yards get called back due to penalties, including a huge 40-yard run by senior back Cameron Zimmerman. The team threw three interceptions on the day, and turned the ball over on downs twice.
With just over 40 seconds remaining in the half, and the Vikings at midfield, it seemed that the 8-0 score would hold until halftime. Junior Dalton Alber changed that in the blink of an eye with a 50-yard run that would take the ball down to the four. Parker would score on the next play, and with just over 10 seconds left in the half, Tippy Valley had doubled its lead.
Wawasee had an opportunity to shrink the lead as the team received the second half kickoff. After an 0-3 first half from Shoemaker in which the QB threw two picks, senior Jaxon Brown was given the reins to the offense. Brown performed well, going 10-18 for 113 yards. He appeared to select junior tight end Donovan Blair as his safety net, as Blair would finish the game with 51 yards on five catches. Brown would make his biggest mistake on the opening drive of the second half however, as he was picked off by Durkes for the big man’s second interception of the game. One play later, a 22-yard run by Bernicky made it 23-0.
“The guys played hard, they were excited. It makes it easy to coach defense when you have a line like that,” Moriarty said. “I was pleased all night long.”
That would be the last touchdown scored in the game. The Warriors would come close. After a 30-yard reception by Colten Sutton, Wawasee found itself in the red zone for the first time in the game. That’s as close as they would get, as the team would turn the ball over on downs at the 10-yard line.
While not the most exciting play in football to most, the loudest cheer of the night came when freshman Gage Overbey hit a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make the score 26-0. Coach Morairty echoed the excitement in his post game huddle, exclaiming “We have a kicker!”
“We joke because I never go for PATs but this year we have a guy that can kick them,” Moriarty said. “It was nice for him to get a live attempt tonight, nice to see him hit one from the right hash.”
Tippecanoe Valley goes on the road next week to open up Three Rivers Conference play against Northfield, while Wawasee will continue non-conference play with a home game against West Noble.
With green shirts and jerseys on both sides of the stands, the Vikings opened the game with the ball to the roar of their fans. Utilizing the running game on the inside and out, Tippy Valley began the game on a 16-play, nine-minute drive that was punctuated by an eight-yard run by junior Nate Parker for his first of two touchdowns in the first 24 minutes. The Warriors had an opportunity to get off of the field on fourth down near the red zone, but an encroachment call would set up the touchdown just plays later.
Parker was the bell cow for the Vikings all night long, finishing with 92 yards on 18 carries. Parker also started the game at quarterback, throwing just one pass, a 12-yard completion to Markus Bernicky. He would give way to Cody Eastgate, who would handle most of the quarterbacking duties for the remainder of the game.
“We try to get [Nate] the ball as much as we can. Him being able to play quarterback as well as halfback just makes it that much easier,” Valley head coach Steve Moriarty said.
Wawasee’s opening drive ended quickly on an interception by junior Mason Shoemaker on just the third play of the sequence. Defensive lineman and birthday boy Landon Durkes was able to get his hands on the ball for Valley. An unsportsmanlike penalty would move the ball back 15 yards. It wouldn’t matter much, as just a few plays later, a fumble was called after a Valley receiver lost the ball after a 12-yard catch.
While the Warriors were able to hold their own defensively against a bully of a Viking offensive line, it was the offensive side of the ball that Wawasee struggled mightily on. The Warriors had two gains of at least 30 yards get called back due to penalties, including a huge 40-yard run by senior back Cameron Zimmerman. The team threw three interceptions on the day, and turned the ball over on downs twice.
With just over 40 seconds remaining in the half, and the Vikings at midfield, it seemed that the 8-0 score would hold until halftime. Junior Dalton Alber changed that in the blink of an eye with a 50-yard run that would take the ball down to the four. Parker would score on the next play, and with just over 10 seconds left in the half, Tippy Valley had doubled its lead.
Wawasee had an opportunity to shrink the lead as the team received the second half kickoff. After an 0-3 first half from Shoemaker in which the QB threw two picks, senior Jaxon Brown was given the reins to the offense. Brown performed well, going 10-18 for 113 yards. He appeared to select junior tight end Donovan Blair as his safety net, as Blair would finish the game with 51 yards on five catches. Brown would make his biggest mistake on the opening drive of the second half however, as he was picked off by Durkes for the big man’s second interception of the game. One play later, a 22-yard run by Bernicky made it 23-0.
“The guys played hard, they were excited. It makes it easy to coach defense when you have a line like that,” Moriarty said. “I was pleased all night long.”
That would be the last touchdown scored in the game. The Warriors would come close. After a 30-yard reception by Colten Sutton, Wawasee found itself in the red zone for the first time in the game. That’s as close as they would get, as the team would turn the ball over on downs at the 10-yard line.
While not the most exciting play in football to most, the loudest cheer of the night came when freshman Gage Overbey hit a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make the score 26-0. Coach Morairty echoed the excitement in his post game huddle, exclaiming “We have a kicker!”
“We joke because I never go for PATs but this year we have a guy that can kick them,” Moriarty said. “It was nice for him to get a live attempt tonight, nice to see him hit one from the right hash.”
Tippecanoe Valley goes on the road next week to open up Three Rivers Conference play against Northfield, while Wawasee will continue non-conference play with a home game against West Noble.
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