By Baylen Hite
News Now Warsaw
The smells of fresh-cut grass, the sound of a whistle, and the crash of pads can only mean one thing at Tippecanoe Valley High School. Death Valley football is back.
The Vikings will chart their course for the 2024 season fresh off a (9-1) record in 2023.
While graduation stripped the Vikings of lots of its production from last season, they bring back a strong group who will try to win the first title in the newly minted Northern Indiana State Conference title.
After a schedule of unknowns and first-time opponents in 2023, the Vikings will officially be in the INSC which includes Bremen, Jimtown, John Glenn, Knox, and Laville.
Tippecanoe Valley will face four of their five conference opponents on the road. Additionally, they’ll face Wawasee, Rochester, and Hammond Morton in a challenging non-conference schedule.
However, the INSC isn’t the only big change for the Vikings this season. They will compete in the postseason in the newly reshaped sectional 26, which includes Angola, Fairfield, (who the Vikings scrimmaged last week) Fort Wayne Concordia, Garrett, Lakeland, West Noble, and Woodlan.
Despite the changes, the message and expectation remain the same for Death Valley: Win games and then find a way to eat turkey “in the dome” at the end of the year. Before the Vikings can think about what they might be eating on Thanksgiving, though, they’ll have a challenging path to get there. Let’s run through some important storylines before Valley kicks off their season Friday against Wawasee.
New Senior’s on the Block
Although the senior class is smaller in numbers. they aren’t short for talent on either side of the ball. Brock Derf who led the Vikings in tackles as a junior with 81 tackles (and 11 of those for a loss) has a chance to lead the conference (maybe the state) in tackles from the linebacker position.
He’ll line up alongside junior Grady Moriarty who was 2nd on the team in tackles with 53
“Me and Grady are always pushing each other and we know we’ve got each other’s back each play — we’re excited to be able to help this defense,” Derf said.
Another impact senior will be Asher McGriff who is expected to anchor both the offensive and defensive lines. McGriff had two sacks and a pick 6 last season.
“I feel like last year’s class set a great example of how to lead and I’ve been able to take the best parts of that group and try to implement that into the group,” McGriff said about his new role as a leader.
Trees in the Trenches
Valley’s offensive line will be reshaped after graduation took 4 of the 5 starters but this year’s line will come in with something you can’t teach — size. The Vikings will be one of the taller groups up front that the school has seen in past years.
Although it’s unknown how exactly the front will line up, they are expected to be big. Players like Carlos Gonzalez, Gage Overbey, Cale Dewees, Trevin Hester, Kolton Sisk, Nash Miller, Asher McGriff, Jaime Wallace, and Will Kelly are listed as 6’0 or taller.
Fresh Faced Skill Group
The skill position group at Valley graduated a pair of all-time Vikings in Nate Parker at running back who rushed for 1,229 yards and 17 touchdowns, and Wade Jones who pulled in 422 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Both are headed to Taylor to play at the next level.
Although they don’t return as much production on offense it will give plenty of opportunity for others to step up. Look for Brandon Stiles (282 rushing yards) and Wyatt Hart (271 rushing yards) to hold down the backfield after filling in for Nate Parker after he went down for the final 2 regular season games. Brock Derf and Grady Moriarty will return to play fullback for Valley’s ground-and-pound offense.
At quarterback, we can expect to see a competition between Jamison Phillips and Hunter Stage. Both played great last season when given opportunities behind Cody Eastgate who will play at Anderson University this season.
Out wide, Wes Parker, Owen Omindi, Colten Crabbe, Hudson Shepphard and Hunter Paxton will get their fair share of targets from either Phillips or Stage.
The offense might be the biggest mystery for Valley but also most exciting given the potential of their new-look offensive line and skill group coming together.
Game to Watch: Week 3 September 6th vs. Hammond Morton
Do not let the Governor’s record last season (5-5) deceive you. They are as talented as any team that Valley will face this year. The 5A program boasts a wealth of college prospects. Led by 3-star WR Lebron Hill who is heading to Purdue next fall, 3-star Fredd Brown who will play at Western Michigan, and a plethora of others who will play in the NAIA, D3, and D2 ranks next fall.
Hammond Morton feels like they are knocking on the door of success after a 4-win improvement last season and this will be a premier matchup for the Vikings before conference play.
Overall Outlook
Time and time again in high school football, it comes down to two things: Health and growth. Valley will need both of those along with the established culture from previous seasons to win the first-ever Indiana Northern State Conference title and hope to spend Thanksgiving weekend eating turkey in the dome.
Follow along here all season for game previews and recaps. As always 107.3 WRSW is the home for Valley Football. You can listen to games all year long with pregame starting at 6 p.m. with myself, Micah Lukens, and Rita Price on the call!
