SOUTH WHITLEY — The Tippecanoe Valley football team had already wrapped up at least of a share of the 2011 Three Rivers Conference championship, but the Whitko Wildcats showed how they claimed the 2010 crown Friday in South Whitley. Doubling up Valley's total yards (341-165) and plays (68-33), the host Wildcats (5-4, 5-2 TRC) only allowed the Vikings (6-3, 6-1 TRC) to hold possession for 17 of the possible 48 minutes in a 24-15 regular-season ending victory. "They were ready to play," Valley coach Jeff Shriver said of Whitko. "They're a good team that didn't make some plays and take care of business in a couple of their previous games with Rochester and with North Miami. Tonight, they played very, very good football. " After winning the TRC with a 7-0 mark last season, the Wildcats faltered after winning their first four conference games this year. Valley will share the title with Rochester, which defeated North Miami 20-0 Friday night. "We share it with the Zebras, and that's obviously something we didn't want to do," Shriver said about the program's 13th TRC crown and first since 2006. "But we're proud of the fact that we were able to put enough games together to win the conference, even if we didn't win it outright." With the way the Wildcats looked against the Vikings, Whitko coach Wayne Swender could only ponder what could have been in 2011. "In the last couple of weeks, we wish we could have a play back here or there and do some things different," he said. "That's behind us, and now we've got to look forward. It was just a good team effort tonight. With the offensive line and the defensive line, it just seemed like we controlled things pretty well up there." The lines did control the game, enabling Whitko senior Austin Mort to score three touchdowns and run for 102 yards after running for just 163 yards in the first eight games of the season. "Austin's just a gutsy performer," Swender said. "He's determined to get that extra yard or two." Mort's final touchdown came with 1:47 remaining, and was set up after 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior quarterback Alex Stoddard scrambled for a first down on 4th-and-6, all but ending the game as Valley was out of timeouts. The final scoring drive also ate up 7:14 of the clock. "We're the type of offense where we want to grind it out," Swender said. "We did a good job with that. You have to hang on to the ball and eat up the clock." And Stoddard's first-down scramble late in the game wasn't the first time he'd frustrated the Vikings defense. On numerous occasions, Valley defenders seemed to have a direct shot on him, but he repeatedly elude the defense, either scrambling for a big gain and buying enough time to find an open receiver. "Missed tackles were killer for us," Shriver said. "Stoddard was hard to bring down. There were several times when a lesser quarterback would have been sacked." Stoddard finished the game with 38 rushing yards, but also threw for 173 yards, hooking up with junior receiver Connor Stouder four times for 87 yards. Senior Derek Snep also caught five passes for 64 yards, but his presence on the field opened up things for Stouder. "Stouder had a couple big catches for us, and he knows that's going to happen when (the defense) is double teaming Derek," Swender said. "He did a nice job." Prior to Stoddard's big plays, the game appeared to be defensive battle. That is, until Valley's special teams made a couple costly mistakes. First, a punt from Stouder hit a Vikings return man, and Whitko pounced on it, setting up Mort's first score of the game at the 8:47 mark in the second quarter. Then, on the ensuing kickoff, sophomore Tanner Andrews had the ball slip through his hands, and Whitko junior Schyler Fugate was there to grab it. Two minutes later, junior place kicker Jake Nissley nailed a 26-yard field goal, giving the Wildcats a 10-0 lead. Down by 10, the Vikings offense struggled to get a drive going and was forced to put the ball, but it looked good for the road team when it was downed at the Whitko 3-yard line with just 2:58 left in the half. However, Stoddard led the Wildcats on a 97-yard, 10-play drive that ended on a five-yard touchdown run by Mort, which put Whitko on top 17-0 with only 35 seconds left in the half. But that's when something good happened for the Vikings. With the Whitko crowd in a frenzy, Valley senior James Gregory returned the kickoff 90 yards for a score, cutting the lead to 17-7 at the half. "He redeemed our special teams by putting one in the end zone at a key time to keep us in the ballgame," Shriver said. The big play wasn't Valley's only one of the game. After getting a safety when a snap on a punt sailed over Stouder's out the back of the end zone, Valley's second touchdown came when junior Jacob Ritchey took a pitch from sophomore quarterback Ben Shriver and threw it down the field to Andrews, who caught it and ran it in from 58 yards out. The two-point conversion was failed, but the Vikings were within 17-15 with nine minutes remaining. But just when things were looking up, Whitko went on its seven-plus minute drive, which put the nail in the coffin. "We didn't play as crisp of football as we've been playing," Shriver said. "That showed. "They made the plays when they needed to make the plays and kept their offense on the field in critical situations" he added. "Even though we played better defense in the second half, it's tough when you play so much defense." Sectionals begin this Friday, with Whitko traveling to Fort Wayne Concordia and Valley hosting Garrett. A win between both local teams would set up a rematch the following week.
