Coaches For Vikings, Jimmies Familiar With One Another
Coaches For Vikings, Jimmies Familiar With One Another
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Anthony Anderson-
Coaches For Vikings, Jimmies Familiar With One AnotherAKRON — Blown out three straight times by Jimtown, Tippecanoe Valley hasn’t managed to engage in a competitive football game against the Jimmies since Viking head coach Steve Moriarty was last involved.
Of course, Moriarty was a player that last time, a quarter of a century ago. Coincidentally, so was Jimtown coach Mike Campbell.
“He hit me really good a couple times and they beat us, but those are some great memories, some great battles,” Moriarty said this week of the 10-6 and 21-7 sectional wins that Campbell and the Jimmies — undefeated on both occasions — pinned on once-beaten Valley clubs during the 1993 and 1994 playoffs.
Moriarty, a linebacker and offensive guard, and Campbell, a linebacker and offensive tackle, were both seniors in 1994. Both wore No. 55.
While Campbell doesn’t particularly recall his square-offs with Moriarty, he vividly remembers the back and forth between Moriarty, a Valley defensive standout, and Jimtown star running back Marcus Carpenter, who would go on to play at Wisconsin.
“He and Marcus, they had some great collisions, and some great staredowns,” Campbell recollected this week with a laugh.
Moriarty chuckled, too, when reminded of that.
“I remember Marcus was like, ‘Make it physical,’ and I was like, ‘I plan on it,’” Moriarty said. The Vikings (7-3) and the Jimmies (6-4) get another chance to make it physical Friday when Jimtown visits Smith-Bibler Memorial Field for a 7:30 p.m. Class 3A sectional semifinal.
The Jimmies don’t come in with a record as glistening as the ones they boasted throughout the 1990s, but they have won each of their last four outings handily, and their four losses on the season have come against two 5A programs (Concord and Elkhart Central), a 4A program (NorthWood) and a 3A program (Marian) that are all state-ranked.
“None of those felt good at the time,” Campbell said, “but at the end of the day, looking at the teams we played, I think we learned a lot and got better because of it.”
Moriarty said of Jimtown, “they’re a very disciplined, very well-coached team. They fire off the ball and are very aggressive with their blocks. Coach Campbell has done an excellent job with them, and his son (senior Clay Campbell), besides being the quarterback, is one of the best defensive players you’ll see. He’s leading them in tackles (87, including six for loss) as a safety and a corner. Even if we can get them blocked on the first level, I’m not sure how you get by him on the second level.”
Similarities abound for Valley and the Jimmies.
Both clubs lean on their running attacks and have multiple backs to make it happen, but each also throws enough to keep the defense honest, the Jims at 9.4 attempts per game, the Vikings at 11.7.
“I think both teams try to take what’s given, don’t try to be something they’re not,” Moriarty said. “We’re kind of vanilla, same as them. What you see is what you get. You gotta block it, and then on defense, I think we both try to do a good job with gang-tackling.”
Ethan Devol leads Jimtown at 856 rushing yards to go with a 5.5 average and nine touchdowns. Fellow junior Cole Thompson, Oscar Zelaya and lately surging break-away threat Trey Washington have combined for another 1,118 yards, a 6.7 average and 13 TDs. Campbell has netted 216 yards and seven ground scores.
He’s also passed for 659 yards and four TDs, similar to Tanner Trippiedi’s 681 yards and six TDs for Valley.
The Viking run game includes Dakota Gaff at 741 yards, a 7.2 average and eight touchdowns, Jaydin Conley at 630, 4.8 and five, and Trippiedi at 381, 5.9 and seven.
Valley wideout Jalen Potter has caught 33 passes for 411 yards and four TDs, while the Jims typically favor tight end Dustin Whitman (18, 245 and two) as a target.
Whitman’s also made three interceptions, while Potter has five for the Vikings.
A source of concern for Moriarty much of the season, Valley has coughed up 23 giveaways, but has been better in that department lately and has made up for it with 27 takeaways.
Jimtown, meanwhile, is plus six for the season with 16 takeaways against just 10 giveaways. The teams have one opponent in common, South Bend Washington. The Vikings beat the host Panthers 19-14 in last week’s sectional opener, while the Jimmies downed host Washington 31-13 nine weeks ago on their way to a 5-1, runner-up finish in the Northern Indiana Conference’s South Division.
Under Campbell, Jimtown has gone 103-43 over 12 years with five sectional titles and two regional crowns.
Campbell succeeded his own high school coach in the legendary Bill Sharpe, who went 288-54 over 28 years with 17 sectional titles, 10 regionals, six semistates and four state crowns.
The Jimmies’ lopsided wins of 54-0, 53-18 and 53-0 over Valley in 2010, 2013, 2015 sectional matchups all came under Campbell’s watch and pushed the all-time series count to 5-0.
While Moriarty, who is in his third year as Viking coach, has also been a Valley assistant, he was not involved with the program during those last three losses to Jimtown.
He has the Vikings at their best mark since the 2012 club finished 8-3, and if Valley can win Friday, it would mean the program’s first trip to a sectional final since the 1993 loss to the Jimmies.
The Jimtown-Viking survivor will be on the road for the championship, at No. 4 Marian (9-1) or No. 7 West Noble (10-0).
