AKRON – Following their first loss to Northfield in nearly 20 years, the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings are 0-5 for the first time in school history. In a Three Rivers Conference football matchup in Akron, Valley gave up 27 unanswered points and 322 yards on the ground, turned the ball over four times and saw its 17-game win streak over the Norsemen come to an abrupt halt. The Vikings scored a touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:06 remaining in the game, making the final score 40-22. The game, however, wasn’t nearly as close as the scoreboard may have indicated, and Northfield celebrated its first win over Valley since 1996. The Vikings hold a 29-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Norsemen. “It’s the same-old, same-old,” said Valley coach Scott Bibler, whose team led 6-0 midway through the first quarter but trailed 27-6 early in the third after a rash of turnovers, penalties and miscues. “I’m just disappointed,” added Bibler. “I thought we’d play better by this point in the season. I thought we’d have more success by now. The kids are frustrated. We’re frustrated as coaches. This is new territory for us. This falls on my shoulders. It’s my responsibility to get the boys ready to play. It’s my responsibility to get them prepared.” The disappointment was very evident in Bibler’s voice and body language Friday night. He even went as far as apologizing to the community and the school. “Right now we’re not rolling up our sleeves and getting it done,” said Bibler. “We’ve got to get better. I apologize to the community. I apologize to the school. We’ve never been in a situation like this. It’s our job to get better. I don’t know any other way than to get after it and work hard, so that’s what we’re gonna do.” While Valley fell to 0-5 overall and 0-3 in the TRC, Northfield is enjoying its best season in decades. Under the direction of second-year coach Brandon Baker, the former Manchester Squires skipper, Northfield is 4-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play. Rochester and Whitko sit alone atop the TRC with 3-0 records, while Northfield and Manchester are one game back. The other four teams in the conference have at least two losses in league play. “Northfield deserves a lot of credit,” said Bibler. “They played hard and executed. Momentum swung their way in the first half and they caught fire. “I knew this would be a building process,” added Bibler, who is now in his second stint as Valley’s head coach. “I thought we’d have more success up to this point in time.” Trailing 6-0 after one quarter of play, Northfield went on to lead 21-6 at halftime and 33-14 at the end of the third quarter. A 27-yard touchdown run by fullback Josh Bickel gave the Norsemen a 40-14 advantage with 10:56 remaining in the contest. Bickel finished the game with 98 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, while Shane Vigar added 111 yards and two scores on six carries and Jarred Short chipped in with 25 yards and a pair of touchdowns on four rushes. Quarterback Carter Frieden carried the ball six times for 85 yards and also completed 7 of 10 passes for 100 yards. In all, the Norsemen tallied 422 yards of offense. Valley amassed 302 yards of total offense – 153 on the ground, 149 through the air – but were plagued by three interceptions, a lost fumble and nine penalties for 75 yards. Junior fullback Garrett Bell led the Vikings’ rushing attack with 14 carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback Alec Craig rushed for 47 yards and a score on 12 attempts. Craig completed 12 of 23 passes for 149 yards, but offered up the three picks. Junior Brandon Webster led Valley’s receiving corps with nine catches for 97 yards, while senior Jarred Littlejohn made three receptions for 52 yards. The Vikings are in action again Friday when they travel to Wabash, while Northfield hosts Whitko.
NORTHFIELD 40, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 22 NF 0 21 12 7 — 40 TV 6 0 8 8 — 22
