Valley Falls In Battle Of Ranked Teams
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
In the first round of Class 3A sectional action, the eighth-ranked Tippecanoe Valley Vikings couldn't keep up with the fourth-ranked South Bend St. Joseph Indians, losing 35-6 at Mishawaka Marian's Otolski Field.[[In-content Ad]]"They made the plays," Valley coach Jeff Shriver said of the Indians. "Their defense really stepped up and made plays against us. They were very quick, and persude to the perimeter. They were able to get the job done and contain us. That didn't allow us to run our toss or sweep."
On the night, Valley's usual potent running attack was limited to 64 yards on 45 carries, 1.4 yards a carry. Making Valley's numbers look a little askew were an 18-yard loss on a botched punt and a 23-yard loss on a fumble, but without those two incidents, the numbers still weren't going to be enough to defeat the Indians.
"We tried to really work hard this week on containing the quarterback and containing the tailback," St. Joe coach Kevin Downey said of Valley quarterback Chad Hoffer and tailback Kyle Brady. "Those guys are really dangerous players. And they're dangerous, both on design and when a play breaks down, when they can make something happen."
The work in St. Joe practices must have really been benefical, as the Indians limited Hoffer to just eight yards on 11 carries and Brady to 60 yards on 17 attempts.
On the other side of the ball, St. Joe senior Jordan Taylor ran for 94 yards on 18 carries, rushing for two touchdowns in the process. On his first score, a 24-yard scamper with 6:34 remaining in the first quarter, Taylor broke St. Joe's single season rushing record of 1,503 yards set back in 1995 by Christian Hurley. Following the win, Taylor had compiled 1,578 yards in 2007.
"He's a really special player," Downey said of Taylor. "We have good players that surround him, but he's a very, very special player."
Taylor's 24-yard run was the first score of the game, and he followed that with another touchdown on the Indians' ensuing possession, handing his team a 14-0 lead with 1:37 remaining in the opening quarter.
In that first quarter, St. Joe began its three drives at the Valley 41-, 24- and 44-yard lines.
"Field position in the first half killed us," Shriver said.
After seeing Taylor finish two consecutive drives with touchdowns, the senior didn't even touch the ball the next time a Valley drive ended, as junior Zachary Matthews returned a Kyle Ritchey punt 64 yards for a touchdown 19 seconds into the second quarter.
"Our special teams breakdowns," Shriver said of his team's miscues. "We had a punt blocked, a a touchdown returned and then the touchdown scored on our offense. When you give any team, especially a team like South Bend St. Joe's 21 or 28 points, the score's gonna come out a little bit on the wrong side."
The Indians other two touchdowns came on an 8-yard pass from Joseph Hecklinski to Dustin White and a 5-yard fumble recovery by Adam Arsenault in the final minutes of the game.
Aside from Arsenault's fumble recovery, all of St. Joe's points came in the first half, which the Indians closed with a 28-0 advantage.
"That first half is how I believe we could, and should, play all the time, to be very honest," Downey said. "They did a good job in all three phases of the game."
In the second half, the Valley defense allowed just 49 total yards, without a score, something Shriver was proud to see.
"Tonight, especially defensively, I was proud of our effort," he said. "Especially our defensive linemen up front. Against what I'd say are two really, really good running backs (Taylor and White) and a very good offensive line."
Tippy's lone bright spot on offense came when Hoffer turned a fourth-and-2 into a 33-yard touchdown run with three seconds remaining in the third quarter.
"To Tippy's credit, we knew they were gonna hit hard and play hard, regardless of the score," Downey said. "It wasn't so much of a surprise that we stopped scoring, but there was a little bit of a lack of focus. To their credit, they're a good football team and played hard."
The loss left Valley with an 8-2 overall record, a mark Shriver credits to his seniors and the work they've put in during their football careers as Vikings.
"I feel like our seniors did a great job this season," he said. "That's probably what disappointed me the most - that this group of seniors is going to graduate. Because they're great young men and they're gonna achieve good things in their lives."
In the first round of Class 3A sectional action, the eighth-ranked Tippecanoe Valley Vikings couldn't keep up with the fourth-ranked South Bend St. Joseph Indians, losing 35-6 at Mishawaka Marian's Otolski Field.[[In-content Ad]]"They made the plays," Valley coach Jeff Shriver said of the Indians. "Their defense really stepped up and made plays against us. They were very quick, and persude to the perimeter. They were able to get the job done and contain us. That didn't allow us to run our toss or sweep."
On the night, Valley's usual potent running attack was limited to 64 yards on 45 carries, 1.4 yards a carry. Making Valley's numbers look a little askew were an 18-yard loss on a botched punt and a 23-yard loss on a fumble, but without those two incidents, the numbers still weren't going to be enough to defeat the Indians.
"We tried to really work hard this week on containing the quarterback and containing the tailback," St. Joe coach Kevin Downey said of Valley quarterback Chad Hoffer and tailback Kyle Brady. "Those guys are really dangerous players. And they're dangerous, both on design and when a play breaks down, when they can make something happen."
The work in St. Joe practices must have really been benefical, as the Indians limited Hoffer to just eight yards on 11 carries and Brady to 60 yards on 17 attempts.
On the other side of the ball, St. Joe senior Jordan Taylor ran for 94 yards on 18 carries, rushing for two touchdowns in the process. On his first score, a 24-yard scamper with 6:34 remaining in the first quarter, Taylor broke St. Joe's single season rushing record of 1,503 yards set back in 1995 by Christian Hurley. Following the win, Taylor had compiled 1,578 yards in 2007.
"He's a really special player," Downey said of Taylor. "We have good players that surround him, but he's a very, very special player."
Taylor's 24-yard run was the first score of the game, and he followed that with another touchdown on the Indians' ensuing possession, handing his team a 14-0 lead with 1:37 remaining in the opening quarter.
In that first quarter, St. Joe began its three drives at the Valley 41-, 24- and 44-yard lines.
"Field position in the first half killed us," Shriver said.
After seeing Taylor finish two consecutive drives with touchdowns, the senior didn't even touch the ball the next time a Valley drive ended, as junior Zachary Matthews returned a Kyle Ritchey punt 64 yards for a touchdown 19 seconds into the second quarter.
"Our special teams breakdowns," Shriver said of his team's miscues. "We had a punt blocked, a a touchdown returned and then the touchdown scored on our offense. When you give any team, especially a team like South Bend St. Joe's 21 or 28 points, the score's gonna come out a little bit on the wrong side."
The Indians other two touchdowns came on an 8-yard pass from Joseph Hecklinski to Dustin White and a 5-yard fumble recovery by Adam Arsenault in the final minutes of the game.
Aside from Arsenault's fumble recovery, all of St. Joe's points came in the first half, which the Indians closed with a 28-0 advantage.
"That first half is how I believe we could, and should, play all the time, to be very honest," Downey said. "They did a good job in all three phases of the game."
In the second half, the Valley defense allowed just 49 total yards, without a score, something Shriver was proud to see.
"Tonight, especially defensively, I was proud of our effort," he said. "Especially our defensive linemen up front. Against what I'd say are two really, really good running backs (Taylor and White) and a very good offensive line."
Tippy's lone bright spot on offense came when Hoffer turned a fourth-and-2 into a 33-yard touchdown run with three seconds remaining in the third quarter.
"To Tippy's credit, we knew they were gonna hit hard and play hard, regardless of the score," Downey said. "It wasn't so much of a surprise that we stopped scoring, but there was a little bit of a lack of focus. To their credit, they're a good football team and played hard."
The loss left Valley with an 8-2 overall record, a mark Shriver credits to his seniors and the work they've put in during their football careers as Vikings.
"I feel like our seniors did a great job this season," he said. "That's probably what disappointed me the most - that this group of seniors is going to graduate. Because they're great young men and they're gonna achieve good things in their lives."
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092