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While it is one of the fiercest rivalries in northern Indiana, the Battle for the Bell between Tippecanoe Valley and Rochester hasn’t been all that close in recent years. Coming into Friday night’s meeting, the Vikings had retained the Bell for the previous eight years. They’ll hold onto it for at least another year, as Valley came out firing on all cylinders and never slowed down, crushing their rival 30-0 in what was an incredibly impressive performance.
“It’s something special. Everybody remembers their Bell Game. It’s great for both communities,” Valley head coach Steve Moriarty said after the win. “I’m really proud of how we played tonight. Aggressive on both ends and it paid off all night.”
The Vikings couldn’t have gotten a better start in this one, as a third-down sack by Colter Blackburn on Rochester’s first drive of the game. He didn’t stop there, as on the very next play, he blocked the Zebra punt, which was recovered by Ethan Drudge and taken to the one-yard line. The offense needed just one play from there, as Hunter Paxton crossed the goal line on a carry up the middle. The two-point conversion that followed was stuffed, making it 6-0 Valley midway through the first.
“We were stressing all week to attack to the next level. We thought we could get in there and get to a punt and we did on that first one. Really set the tone,” Moriarty said.
The rest of the opening quarter went by in a flash, as Rochester responded fairly well to the early blitz by their opponents. The visitors methodically moved the ball down the field, melting the clock while picking up a series of first downs. However, the drive stalled out around midfield, leading to the third fourth-down conversion attempt for the Zebras. For the first time, they were denied, giving the ball back to the Viking offense.
That would not be the last failed conversion of the game. The Vikings’ next drive looked awfully similar to their rivals’ previous attempt, as it stalled out after a few first downs, and ended on a pass that was downed a yard shy of the marker. Rochester was unable to take advantage, getting stuffed on a fourth-down run minutes later.
With the ball back on the Zebra side of the field, Garrett Hart made his mark on the game. On the first play of the drive, he used a 30-yard carry to set his team up inside the five. A play later, he’d scamper into the end zone untouched. Paxton converted on the two-point this time around, making it 14-0 for the home side.
Senior Hunter Paxton powers his way to the goal line to score Valley's first touchdown during Friday night's home game against Rochester...Nieter
The Vikings continued to dominate the game for the rest of the half, using both the offensive and defensive lines to bully Rochester on both ends of the field. The visitors were able to put together another nice drive, but once again, the Valley defense bent but didn’t break. Getting the ball back with about four minutes until the break, the home side marched down the field but simply ran out of time. Owen Omondi’s short field goal attempt to end the half was blocked out of bounds, keeping it a two-score game with two quarters to go.
Valley did exactly what it needed to do to begin the second half, running the ball down the field and down the Zebras’ throats. Paxton was the catalyst on this drive, getting a ton of running room thanks to his offensive line, and he took advantage of it. The Vikings had to deal with just one third down on the drive, which ended with a four-yard run by quarterback Hunter Randall. After another two points, it was now 22-0 with 20 minutes left in the game.
“I think the offensive line did a great job tonight of maintaining their blocks and giving our guys some time,” Moriarty said. “I think at one point in the fourth quarter we were averaging about eight yards a carry on duo, which is our bread and butter play. That tells me the offensive line is doing a great job.”
It didn’t get much better for the visitors. The Zebras were forced to punt on their first drive of the second half, but bounced back with a fourth down stop of the Vikings. However, on the first play following the stop, Brixen Blackburn came up with an interception to snuff out the momentum before it even had a chance to build.
Randall used his legs to carry his team into the end zone for a fourth time on the drive that followed. He decided to tuck it and run on a few designed passing plays, and it turned out to be the right read each time. After a couple of chunk plays put the Vikings back in a goal-to-go situation, Randall finished it off himself once again. A dominant night for the home side just rolled on, with Valley now up 30-0.
Things just went from bad to worse for Rochester, as Blackburn came up with his second interception of the night on the ensuing drive. It was even more impressive than his last, as he timed his jump, reached the high point at the perfect time, and snagged it. It didn’t end up burning them this time around though, as linebacker Gavin Pinder picked it off right back for the visitors immediately afterwards.
Even as second stringers began infiltrating the ranks for the home side as the game began to wind down, the dominance displayed by the Vikings never wavered even for a second. With a shut out just minutes away, the desire for it was on full display as Valley shut down a pair of Rochester fourth downs in the fourth quarter, allowing just one first down in the entire second half to put an exclamation point on what was a nearly perfect performance.
Tippecanoe Valley (2-0) will play the final of three straight games at home to start the season against Adams Central next week.
