Facing off against a 5A team for the first time since 1999 (Warsaw) Tippecanoe Valley welcomed Hammond Morton to Akron Friday night. The Vikings led for almost the entirety of the game, and even after a shootout of a second half, Valley was able hold on for a 35-23 win, the team’s first win over a 5A school since 1996 (12-0 over Warsaw).
“This was a program win for us tonight. One of those games that you have circled on your calendar,” Valley head coach Steve Moriarty said after the game. “I was very pleased with how we performed and how mentally ready we were to play tonight.”
The visitors began the game by receiving the football, but outside of a single completion to Purdue-commit LeBron Hill, the Governors were unable to get anything else going offensively, resulting on the Viking defense forcing a turnover on downs to begin the game on a high note.
The good times kept on rolling, as it didn’t take long for Valley to capitalize on the good field position. On the third play of the drive, junior Wes Parker broke free and took it 47 yards to the house to open up the scoring with an opening-drive touchdown two and a half minutes into the game.
The Viking defense continued to stifle Hammond Morton on its second drive, forcing a three and out to get the ball right back. The second Valley drive wasn’t as productive as the first, as the home team was forced to punt without picking up a first down as well. A long run by quarterback Hunter Stage would have picked up a first down on third and long, but a holding call brought it back.
The Governors were finally able to get it going on their next drive, with running back DaShawn Woods making a pair of big plays to put the visitors in the red zone. The Vikings bent, but they did not break in this situation, holding Hammond Morton out of the end zone and forcing a field goal to make it a 7-3 game with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter.
The ensuing Valley drive saw the game’s first turnover, as Parker had the ball ripped out of his hands by a corner for a fumble. However, the Viking defense was there to back him up, forcing yet another Governor punt after Asher McGriff ended the quarter with the tenth sack of his career.
Beginning the second quarter with the ball, Valley was able to move the ball methodically down the field, using an extremely efficient ground game to punish the visitors up front while picking up first down after first down. A 15-yard carry by homecoming king Brock Derf got the Vikings into the red zone, and a few plays later, Brandon Stiles took the ball into the end zone from two yards out to make it a 14-3 game after a five minute drive.

    Junior Wes Parker finds plenty of running room to score Tippecanoe Valley's first touchdown in the first quarter...Nieter

“Our offensive line was outstanding tonight,” Moriarty said of a unit that led the Vikings to 400 yards on the ground. “They’re a team that has talent everywhere and we were able to push them around however we wanted to.”
The Governors were able to get to the Viking side of the field after a big passing play on the following drive, but started moving in the wrong direction afterwards. Three straight holding calls had the visitors facing a 2nd and 40, with not many options to pick it up, resulting in the third punt of the game.
Valley had a chance to add onto their lead with just three minutes to go in the first half getting the ball back, but a bad pitch on the second play of the drive resulted in the second turnover of the game for the home side.
This was the spark Morton needed. Quarterback Holland Harris looked the best he had all half during this two-minute drive, culminating in the senior throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Martel Kelly to make it a 14-10 game with 40 seconds left.
A 41-yard run by Parker gave the Vikings a chance to add onto their lead in the final seconds of the half, but Valley ran out of time near the red zone, unable to get the field goal unit out in time, keeping it a four-point affair at the half.
The home side opened up the second half with a bang, getting back to the methodical offense by moving the ball down the field with the ground game. Some nice runs by Grady Moriarty and Derf got the Vikings on the Governors’ side of the field, leading to an incredibly interesting play. A snap to Stage found its way to the ground, where it was picked up by McGriff, playing center. With nobody to tackle him, the big man took it 30 yards to the house with nothing but daylight in front of him to make it an eleven-point lead once again.
It didn’t stay that way for long. A great kickoff return for Hammond Morton got them to the other side of the 50, and a pair of long runs by Woods would get the visitors into the red zone and then the end zone to answer the Vikings with a score less than three minutes later.
The Vikings went right back to business after getting the ball back, using the three-headed monster of Stiles, Parker and Moriarty to get back into the red zone in no time. Using an offensive line that was absolutely bullying their opponent, Moriarty followed his blockers for a six-yard score to extend the lead once again.
The second-half shootout continued with Morton getting the ball back, moving down the field with ease, getting all the way to the Valley 30 as the third quarter came to an end. The first play of the fourth saw the Governors getting right back on the board, with Harris connecting with receiver Ameer Daniels for a 30-yard touchdown. The visitors decided to go for two to try and make it a three-point game, but Harris’ pass went through the back of the end zone to keep the Viking lead at five.
Holding onto a slim lead and looking to put things away for good, Valley surprisingly continued a quicker pace of offense, often snapping the ball with 15-20 seconds remaining on the play clock. Despite this, the clock continued to tick away as the Viking offense was able to keep picking up first downs. Getting into the red zone five minutes into the drive, Derf continued his awesome night with a scamper down the sidelines, dodging multiple tacklers to make it all the way to the end zone on his way to making it a 35-23 game.
The following drive saw the Vikings get the stop they were desperately searching for. On a scramble by Harris, Valley was able to punch the ball free, recovered by Owen Omondi to give the ball back to the home side with five minutes left.
It was just what they needed. Using the ground game, the Vikings were able to drain the rest of the clock to continue the undefeated start to the season.
Tippecanoe Valley (3-0) will take on Knox next week in their first game as a member of the Indiana Northern State Conference.
“It was fun to be independent for a year but I’m really looking forward to playing in a conference again, establishing rivalries,” Moriarty said. “One more trophy for us to play for every year will be a great motivator for these kids.”