AKRON – While first-year head coach Darin Holsopple is learning new things each day about his Tippecanoe Valley High School football team, there are a few things he’s already quite certain of. First off, the Vikings have talent up and down the roster. Secondly, Valley isn’t a 1-9 team. Coming off their worst season in program history, one in which their lone win was over Three Rivers Conference foe Wabash, the Vikings are trying to bounce back under the optimistic and energetic Holsopple. Holsopple, an assistant coach at Fairfield the past 11 seasons, replaced longtime coach Scott Bibler, who was in the first year of his second stint at the helm of the program. The Vikings haven’t won a sectional championship since 1992 and are looking for their first conference title since sharing it with Rochester in 2012. Holsopple hopes to end those droughts and restore some roar to Valley’s steep tradition. “One of the things I noticed as soon as I got here is the talent we have,” said Holsopple, who also coached track and field at Fairfield. “I’m happy with what we have. There’s things we need to improve on ... every coach is going to say you need to get stronger and faster ... but the building blocks are there now. I’m not only excited about the future, I’m excited about now. “I’m optimistic about this season,” continued Holsopple. “This isn’t a 1-9 team. I know things happened last year for different reasons, but last year was last year, and these kids have come to play ball and win games. I truly believe we’re going to be better than 1-9.” Since 1990, the only head coaches of the Valley football program have been Bibler and Jeff Shriver. Bibler coached from 1990-2005, and then again last season. During the majority Bibler’s reign, Shriver, who was the head coach from 2006-2013, was the defensive coordinator. In that sense, Holsopple is an outsider to the program. He wants to put his own stamp on the Vikings, but at the same time wants to so with some of Valley’s traditional ways. “On the surface, things are going to look different,” said Holsopple. “Underneath, we’re still going to be the same tough, hard-working kids every down that Valley has always had.” Offensively, Holsopple said Valley will run a spread formation centered around junior quarterback Alec Craig, senior fullback Garrett Bell and junior slot receivers Shane Ellis and Brandon Webster. “I expect those four to touch the ball often,” said Holsopple. “They’re going to be the main focus of our offense. We also have wide receivers Jared Duzenberry, Tyler Poyser and Desean Heckaman.” The job of protecting Valley’s skill-position players will fall on the shoulders of Isaac Sponseller, Kyle VanDiepenbos, Cole Cumberland and Ben Slone, among others. “I love the I formation, and I love power football,” said Holsopple. “But if you’re not the biggest, strongest team every week it doesn’t always work. “With the athletes we have, and we have some experience back on the offensive line, the spread is our best chance to be successful.” On the defensive side of the ball, Holsopple said he’s expecting big things from Bell at insider linebacker, Bryce Webster and Aric Schafer at outside linebacker, Genoah Maliniemi on the line and Nick Feldman in the secondary. “My focus right now is playing fast,” said Holsopple. “Not so much with the tempo, but with the ability to be confident and react. Right now, we’re going to make mistakes. That’s OK. We can coach them and correct them. A lot of the mistakes can be overcome if the guys play hard.” The Vikings open the season Friday when they play at Culver Military Academy, the opponent on the schedule Holsopple is the most familiar with. “I’m fairly familiar with Culver Military Academy, we played them about every year I was at Fairfield,” said Holsopple. “That’s the team on the schedule I know the best. They’re always disciplined, and I expect a hard-nosed game. As players and coaches, we need to be ready for a fast type of game.” Valley hosts Western in Week 2, and then opens TRC action at North Miami on Sept. 4. With the addition of Peru and Maconaquah this season, making the TRC a 10-team league, the conference was split into two divisions. Manchester, Northfield, Rochester, Valley and Whitko make up the North, while Maconaquah, North Miami, Peru, Southwood and Wabash are in the South. In Week 9, there will be a conference playoff game. “I’m still learning the conference,” said Holsopple. “The style of football is different than what I’m used to in the NECC ... there’s a lot more option football in the TRC. From top to bottom, it looks like a solid conference. I’m looking forward to acclimating myself to the communities and programs in the TRC.”
