For the Tippecanoe Valley and Rochester football programs, there is nothing like the Bell Game. One of the best rivalry games in the northern half of the state, the 2024 edition of the Battle for the Bell had a little bit of everything. After a slow start, a long lightning delay at halftime and a dominant second half, the Vikings were able to keep the Bell in Akron for the seventh straight year with a 22-12 win.
“We take great pride in this game and being able to win it so constantly,” head coach Steve Moriarty said after the game. “It takes all of us to win it. From the coaches to the players to the fans to the administration. It takes a lot to make this possible.”
The first quarter was one that Valley will look to forget. Things started off with a trick play gone wrong on the Vikings’ first drive of the game, as Grady Moriarty threw it deep after receiving a handoff, only to have the pass picked off. Rochester’s start wasn’t much better, as Valley defensive back and quarterback Jamison Phillips picked off a pass of his own on third down to get the ball right back to the home side.
They didn’t hold onto the ball for long, as on the first play of the ensuing drive, Moriarty put the ball on the ground after getting the handoff, making it two turnovers on as many possessions to start the game for Valley.
The turnover gave Rochester some great field position, already on the right side of the 50-yard line. The Zebras would take advantage of this favorable spot, marching down the field by dominating the line of scrimmage to move the ball well. The end result was the first touchdown of the game, as Rochester’s Trenton Meadows made it into the end zone from five yards out. The two-point conversion that followed was no good, leading to a 6-0 lead for the visitors five minutes into the game.
Things didn’t get much better afterwards. A poor throw from Phillips on Valley’s third possession of the night was picked off by a Rochester defender and taken to the 11-yard line. It didn’t take long for the Zebras to make the Vikings pay for yet another miscue, as Brant Beck ran in a 1-yard touchdown to double the lead at 12-0 two minutes after the first score.
Going from bad to worse, Phillips hurt his ankle on the next Valley drive, having to come out of the game for a few snaps. In his absence, Valley finally picked up their first first down of the game nine minutes into the contest. He’d return, but threw yet another interception on a fourth down play to make it four turnovers on four drives in just the first quarter alone.
A nightmare first quarter had a nightmare ending with Rochester completing a 40-yard pass on the final play of the quarter to get back into the red zone.
A few minutes into the second quarter, the Vikings finally showed some signs of life. With the Zebras facing a 4th and 1 at the Valley 1-yard line, the home team’s defense made a massive stop, with Gage Overbey coming up to meet the back at the line of scrimmage to force the turnover on downs while keeping his team in the game.
Hunter Stage came in at quarterback following the stop with a whole lot of ground to cover. Finally, the Vikings were able to show some competence offensively, picking up first down after first down with plenty of players getting involved. Moriarty shook off the early turnovers and had some big carries. Wes Parker was on the receiving end of a 16 yard reception.

    Tippecanoe Valley sophomore Hunter Stage weaves his way through the Rochester defense during the second quarter...Nieter

Even with the offensive resurgence, the Vikings faced some more adversity in the form of the clock. Nearing the end zone but running out of time, Valley was in touchdown or bust mode. With the clock ticking and under 30 seconds in the half, the home side elected to go for a 4th and 3 from the 3, and the gamble paid off. Brandon Stiles was able to break a tackle and get in with five seconds left to make it a 12-7 game at the half.
“That was the turning point for us. Coming off of four turnovers, to make that happen was huge,” Moriarty said.”
The halftime break was an exceptionally long one, with storms coming into the area and forcing the stadium to be evacuated. After an hour and a half delay, the game finally resumed.
“The long halftime was a benefit for us. We were able to watch some film and correct some of the things we weren’t doing so well,” Moriarty said. “It helped us rest and regroup.”
Even with the long time in between halves, the Vikings were able to keep the momentum they gained at the end of the first half, forcing a three-and-out on the opening drive of the half for the Zebras that included an intentional grounding call. A poor punt gave the ball to Valley at the Rochester 40.
The four-minute drive that followed looked like signature Valley football. An 11-yard screen pass to Parker put the Vikings in business, followed by four straight carries for Moriarty, including two for first downs, got Valley within the five. At the one, they gave the ball back to Stiles who took it in for a 1-yard score as well as the following two-point conversion to give the Vikings their first lead of the game at 15-12 despite the poor play early.
Now fully rolling, the Valley defense forced the second Rochester punt in a row on the ensuing drive. Getting the ball back at their own 32, the offense went right back to work. Facing a fourth down at midfield on the second series of the drive, a hard count by Stage got the Zebras to jump to keep things alive. Possessing the ball for nearly the entire third quarter, a nice run by Stage sent things to the fourth with the home side holding onto the lead.
The running game that had struggled early on was now picking up steam. A 23-yard carry by Brock Derf put the Vikings back into the red zone. Parker would do the rest from there, taking it nine yards into the end zone on a third down play to extend the Valley lead to 10 at 22-12 with just eight and a half minutes left. Once trailing by 12, the Vikings now held a two-possession lead.
Needing something and needing it now, the Zebras were finally able to find some second-half offense on their first drive of the fourth quarter. Rochester was able to methodically move the ball down the field, picking up first downs when needed, but time continued to tick away with the visitors still needing two scores. Facing a fourth down with just under five minutes to go in the game, the Valley defense come up with another huge stop, with Stiles making the tackle to give the ball back to the home side and put them in an extremely favorable position.
Back-to-back carries combining for 36 yards for Stage put the Vikings in Zebra territory with under two minutes to go. That would wrap things up for Valley, as Rochester did not use any of their three timeouts in the final stage of the game, electing to accept defeat.
Tippecanoe Valley (2-0) hosts Hammond Morton next Friday night.
“That is going to be a game that is going to prepare us for the tournament,” Moriarty said. “They’ve got a really good offense and it’s going to be a challenge for our defense but we are up for it.”