ROCHESTER - Count Tippecanoe Valley football coach Scott Bibler in as one who will miss the now defunct jamborees.

His team competed in Saturday's Rochester Jamboree. Next season an extra regular season game takes the place of the jamboree.

Bibler liked the idea of watching his team in this tune-up one week before the regular season. If he saw a weakness at the jamboree, he and his assistants could work on that weakness in practice.

"We have the controlled scrimmage now, but it's not the same," Bibler said. Valley competed in a Saturday morning scrimmage at Prairie Heights two weeks ago. "It's not the environment you have here with the fans, under the lights."

No one player stood out for Valley Saturday, but the team turned in a solid if not spectacular effort. Valley defeated Plymouth 8-6 in the second quarter.

The Viking defense held Plymouth deep in its own territory through half the quarter. Staring a 4th and 29 situation in the eye, the Rockies blinked. The snap went over the punter's head and out of the end zone with 4:33 left in the quarter, giving Valley the safety and the 2-0 lead.

Senior Viking running back Darren Parker ran in from four yards out for a touchdown with 2:33 left, good for an 8-0 Valley lead.

Plymouth passed the 50-yard line on only one drive, and the Rockies turned that into a score late in the game. Plymouth quarterback Matt Cramer scored on a two-yard touchdown run with 16 seconds left. Plymouth went for two points afterward, and Cramer fumbled the ball.

"Plymouth, I know, is going to have a solid team," Bibler said. "They have seven guys returning on defense. Really, I was disappointed we weren't able to move the ball on the ground against them. We were able to throw it a little and have some success.

"Defensively, I thought we had people flying at the ball."

The Viking offense owned the field for most of the third quarter against Caston. Valley took nearly eight minutes off the clock before Caston touched the ball for the first time with 4:18 left. The Vikings ground their way down the field deep into Caston territory, but they couldn't punch the ball into the end zone.

Caston accomplished in three minutes what Valley did in eight, thanks to one big play. Caston quarterback Bill Zartman connected with tight end Bob Gray on a 57-yard pass down the middle of the field with 1:02 left. Gray had just one man to beat, and he couldn't do it. Valley outside linebacker Jason Parker delivered the touchdown-saving tackle for the Vikings, but Caston was deep into Viking territory.

Caston's Chris Phelps attempted a field goal with six seconds left that sailed wide left as the quarter ended in a 0-0 tie.

The jamboree featured a different quarterback for Valley. Quentin Law, who had the position the last few years, graduated. Senior Eric Backus is the starting quarterback this year. He was 5-for-6 passing, hooking up with Josh Brady for 24- and 21-yard pass completions against Plymouth.

Bibler was satisfied with his new quarterback.

"This is the first time we've had him in there starting at the varsity level," Bibler said. "I didn't know how he'd react, but I thought he showed some poise and character out there. For the most part, if he had time, the passes were relatively accurate. We had only one incomplete pass."

Bibler had other concerns, though, after the jamboree. One is pretty big, because it involves Valley's bread and butter on offense: the running game.

The Vikings usually find a physical runner who plows through and over anybody, aka James Hall of a few years past. That runner hasn't shown up yet, at least not at the jamboree.

Matt Baker had an eight-yard run. Terry Engstrand had an eight-yard run. Darren Parker had a six-yard run. And so on. Good numbers, but no one broke free for a long gain.

"I'm concerned about our running game," Bibler said. "We're not really establishing the running game now like I'd like to see it. We have a long way to go on that.

"We tried a lot of different people and had a lot of different looks to see where our depth is at and improve on our weaknesses. I don't think anybody stood out and did a fantastic job. We're always striving for improvement each week."

Bibler returns only four starters on each side of the ball from last year, so he can only hope for the best this early in the season. He, like every other coach, wants his team to be good at the end of the season.

Bibler was in a philosophical mood when discussing his team after the jamboree.

"There's a ways to go yet before we're going to be a good football team," Bibler said. "We're still green. The old saying is what's green will grow, so we'll continue to grow and get better." [[In-content Ad]]