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All that emotion coming into this game didn't seem to faze the Vikings as they crushed the Norsemen 61-8 to move to 5-0 on the year and 3-0 in the TRC. It is the first time the Vikings have been 5-0 since 1988.
"This was a big game for us because we got all our kids in the game tonight,' defensive coordinator Jeff Shriver, Valley's head coach for the night, said. "We gave a lot of effort, and we played hard.'
With 3:14 left in the first quarter, the Vikings were up 34-0. Thanks to several early Christmas gifts thrown up by Northfield, the Vikings took advantage of two interceptions, one fumble and a blocked punt.
"I was proud of the kids for the way they capitalized on Northfield's mistakes,' Shriver said. "We set up a lot of easy opportunities for ourselves.'
On Northfield's first possession, B. J. Cunningham picked off Shawn Smith and returned it 54 yards to the 1-yard line, set ting up Valley's first touchdown of the night, a 1-yard run by Josh Carter. Chris Hurd's extra point made it 7-0 Valley.
On Northfield's first play of the second drive, Valley's Anthony Domenico recovered a fumble and took it to the 8-yard line. It took the Vikings one play to score again as Wes Backus took it in from eight yards out. Hurd's extra point was good, upping the lead to 14-0.
The Vikings then picked off their second pass in Northfield's first three possessions as Caleb Shewman picked off a pass from Smith to set up the third score. Backus again took it in from three yards out. Hurd finished the extra point, giving the Vikings a 21-0 lead with 8:33 in the opening period.
On Northfield's fourth possession, the Vikings blocked a punt that was returned to the 8-yard line by Domenico. Two plays later, Cunningham found the end zone from five yards out. Again, Hurd added the extra point to make it 28-0.
The Vikings finished off their first-quarter explosion when Aaron Zolman ran for an 11-yard touchdown. The extra point failed, but it didn't matter as the first quarter lead grew to 34-0.
"Offensively, we just completed what our defense started for us,' Shriver said. "I wish we could have returned a couple of those for touchdowns, we were close.'
The Vikings scored once in the second quarter. After rushing the ball in the first quarter for five touchdowns, the Vikings surprised the Norsemen with a little bit of throwing. Trey Eaton caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from David Beyers that upped the lead to 40-0. The Vikings went for two and got it thanks to Greg Prater. The lead grew to 42-0 at the half. All that was really left for the fans to enjoy was the big homecoming event of the night, the crowning of the king and queen.
With this game long decided, the Vikings added 13 more in the third quarter. Domenico dashed in the end zone for a 4-yard run with 4:13 left in the third. Hurd's extra point was blocked giving the host a 48-0 cushion. Almost two minutes later, Wes Backus found the end zone for the third time as he rushed in for one yard. Hurd's extra point extended the lead to 55-0.
Heading into the fourth quarter all the Vikings were trying to do was shut out the Norsemen. Coming into this game, the Vikings were only giving up six points a game. Northfield had one of their best drives going to start the fourth quarter until Smith was again intercepted, this time by John Rice. After getting the interception, Rice then got the much deserved touchdown as he took it in from 31 yards out. Hurd's kick missed, giving the Vikings a 61-0 lead.
With the game winding down, the Vikings made one mistake that cost them another shutout. With 4-and-6 from the 26, the Vikings were called for a pass interference call that set up Northfield's only score of the game. With 44 seconds left to go, Smith found Chad McWhirt open in the end zone to put Northfield's first dent on the scoreboard. The Norsemen went for two and succeeded, ending the game at 61-8.
"We were kind of hoping we would get the shutout,' Shriver said. "We really showed that we still have Valley Pride and that we are a football family with this win and the circumstances.'
The Vikings will have their biggest game of the year next Saturday when they travel to the RCA Dome to take on 4-1 (2-1 TRC) Oak Hill. Oak Hill defeated Whitko 56-16 last night. If the Vikings want to continue on the right path to winning the TRC, they must play four solid quarters in the dome.
"Next week is huge for us. They have three of the top offensive players in the conference,' Shriver added. "The are a really scary team, especially on carpet.'
T. VALLEY 61, NORTHFIELD 8
Northfield 0 0 0 8 8
T. Valley 34 8 13 6 34
N TV
First downs 16 11
Rushes/yards 35-52 34-210
Passing yards 139 50
Comp.-Att.-Int. 19-32-3 2-4-0
Total offense 191 260
Fumbles/lost 1-0 0-0
Punts/avg. 4-33 1-20
Penalties/yards 3-45 7-86
First Quarter
TV - Josh Carter, 1 run (Chris Hurd kick) 9:37; 7-0 V
TV -ÊWes Backus, 8 run (Hurd kick) 9:23; 14-0 V
TV -ÊBackus, 3 run (Hurd kick) 8:33; 21-0 V
TV -ÊB.J. Cunningham, 5 run (Hurd kick) 5:25; 28-0 V
TV -ÊAaron Zolman, 11 run (kick failed) 3:14; 34-0 V
Second Quarter
TV -ÊTrey Eaton 27 catch from David Beyers (Greg Prater run) 4:53; 42-0 V
Third Quarter
TV -ÊAnthony Domenico, 4 run (kick failed) 48-0 V
TV -ÊWes Backus, 1 run (Hurd kick) 2:22; 55-0 V
Fourth Quarter
TV - Jon Rice, 31 run (kick failed) 7:18; 61-0 V
N -ÊChad McWhirt 1 pass from Shawn Smith (Smith to Brad Laconfora) :41; 61-8 V
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - N: Todd McKillip 1-1, Shawn Smith 14-2, John Miller 14-39, Nathan Culver 3-9, Chad McWhirt 2-7, Tom Simpson 1-12. TV: Uriah Diemer 1-0, Wes Mathias 2-1, Matt Eby 1-0, Josh Carter 2-4, Wes Backus 13-74, B.J. Cunningham 4-21, Aaron Zolman 1-2, David Beyers 2-24, Anthony Domenico 5-46, Kevin Day 1-4, Jon Rice 1-31, Shawn Severns 1-5.
Passing -ÊN: Smith 19-32-139. TV: David Beyers 2-2-50, Shawn Severns 0-2-0.
Receiving - N: John Miller 6-36, Chad Haupert 1-4, Chad McWhirt 7-60, Todd McKillip 2-14, Brad Laconfora 1-16, Mike Galley 1-1, Nathaniel Diener 1-1.
