AKRON - Tippecanoe Valley High School football coach Jeff Shriver said he remembers seeing Kyle Brady at a store years ago wearing a school letter jacket.
Shriver said he remembers Brady's passion for Valley football, as Brady watched a brother and a cousin come through the Viking program while he waited for his turn.Because of unseasonably warm temperatures, Brady, now a senior, probably didn't wear his letter jacket Friday night.
Brady did, however, wear a crown, as he was named homecoming king at halftime of Friday's 35-0 Three Rivers Conference win over North Miami, a contest in which he carried the ball 24 times for 190 yards and a touchdown.
Both North Miami and the Class 3A No. 10 Vikings are now 7-1 overall and 5-1 in TRC action.
"I remember seeing him at K-Mart wearing a letter jacket," Shriver said of Brady. "He couldn't wait to be a part of Tippecanoe Valley football. Now he's getting his share of playing time and he's doing a lot of great things. He's done a lot of things for us at inside linebacker, but because of some injuries, he's getting a lion's share of the carries at tailback and he's doing a great job. He has a bright football future ahead of him."
Brady scored the first touchdown of the game, giving the Vikings a 7-0 lead with 6:48 to play in the first quarter after Matt Smith's extra-point attempt split the uprights.
Valley, which took the opening kickoff and marched 84 yards in 14 plays, set the tone early and never looked back.
A game that on paper had the makings of a classic, as the two teams entered the contest with a combined record of 13-1 overall and 9-1 in the TRC, was anything but.
The host Vikings dominated the line of scrimmage on offense and defense the entire game and made the Warriors look more like an 0-7 team rather than a 7-0 team.
"Last year it was a physical game with North Miami," said Shriver, whose team will now cheer for North Miami to beat Rochester Friday, forcing a three-way tie for the TRC championship of the Vikings can take care of business at Whitko. "Last week was an emotional (14-13) loss to Rochester. We talked about mental crispness and not putting ourselves in situations we can't overcome."
A week after 11 penalties hurt the Vikings' chance to knock off backyard rival Rochester, Valley commited just four penalties Friday night.
The Vikings punted just once and turned the ball over just once, fumbling the ball away to the Warriors.
The story of the game was Valley's ability to dominate the Warrior's defensive front.
The Vikings used a smash-mouth football game - one that the Vikings have used to win game after game over the years - en route to 428 yards rushing on 69 carries.
Valley quarterback Chad Hoffer attempted just five passes in the game, completing two of them for a total of 27 yards.
"We did a great job controlling the clock and moving the football," said Shriver. "Anytime you can keep the other team's offense off the field, that's your best defense."
The Vikings ran the ball 21 times before Hoffer attempted a pass.
So dominant and methodical was Valley's rushing attack, the Vikings' first two drives - both of which resulted in touchdowns - totaled 29 plays for 157 yards.
Sandwiched in between Valley's first two touchdowns was a North Miami drive that resulted in a three-and-out.
Though the Warriors didn't resemble Friday night, Shriver said he was worried about North Miami busting a big play.
"We looked at North Miami as a big-play team," said Shriver. "We felt like they could break one out on the perimeter and hurt us. There was a play where (B.J.) Moore broke loose and we missed two or three tackles, but our defense did a great job, and we were able to move the ball and put points on the board."
Valley held North Miami to 79 yards of offense, 36 yards on the ground and 43 through the air.
Moore led the Warriors' offense with 10 carries for 37 yards. Quarterback Joe Grant carried the ball 11 times for negative three yards.
Complimenting Brady's 24 carries for 190 yards, Valley senior Kyle Ritchey carried 12 times for 50 yards, while Keith Koser carried 10 times for 53 yards, Blake Moore rushed seven times for 51 yards and Hoffer carried seven times for 43 yards.
Valley led 7-0 after the first quarter of play and then put up two more rushing touchdowns in the second quarter, as well as a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hoffer to Jared Baize.
Keith Koser scored the game's final touchdown, barrelling his way in from a yard out with 6:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.
