Trippiedi Leads Vikings Past NorthfieldAKRON – Senior quarterback Tanner Trippiedi ran for two long touchdowns and threw for another, the defense came up big in the fourth quarter as Tippecanoe Valley football team defeated Northfield 28-21 in Three Rivers Conference play Friday night.
“Tanner is just a great athlete,” said Tippecanoe Valley head coach Steve Moriarty. “He’s also a great leader and keeps everyone calm in the huddle.”
Trippiedi, who finished with 105 rushing yards and went 12 for 20 with 123 yards with a touchdown and an interception through the air, got the scoring started with a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jalen Potter with 11:52 remaining in the second quarter.
Northfield tied the game at seven with a 19-yard run by junior running back Alex Haupert. Less than a minute later, Trippiedi broke free for a 49-yard run touchdown run. Northfield closed out the half with a field goal to make it 14-10.
Less than a minute into the third quarter, Trippiedi took it to the house once more with a 66-yard score, pushing the lead to 11. Senior Northfield quarterback Levi Fulkerson threw a touchdown pass to junior Clayton Tomlinson and then completed a two-point conversion to bring the Norsemen within three.
Northfield tied the game on a five-yard field goal with just over four minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Tippecanoe Valley responded with a 65-yard drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown by senior halfback Jacob Eherenman with 1:33 remaining and then smothered Northfield’s final drive, forcing a turnover on downs to win the game. The win was Tippecanoe Valley’s first over Northfield in the last six matchups.
“I was actually happier with the loss last week than I was with the win this week,” said Moriarty, whose squad overcame a sloppy kicking game and an offensive line that did not perform as well as expected Friday. The Vikings missed a field goal and had a punt blocked during the game.
“We’re going to be working on punts this week during practice, for sure.”
Moriarty also said that the team’s offensive line is typically one of their strong suits, but that they struggled against Northfield; he stated that greater communication would be a priority going forward.
Tippecanoe Valley faces Peru in conference play Friday.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 28, NORTHFIELD 21
N 0 10 8 3 – 21
TV 0 14 7 7 – 28
TV – Tanner Trippiedi 25 pass to Jalen Potter (Domingo Santiago kick)
N – Alex Haupert 19 run (Trent Osborn kick)
TV – Trippiedi 49 run (Santiago kick)
N – Osborn field goal
TV – Trippiedi 66 run (Santiago kick)
N – Levi Fulkerson 5 pass to Clayton Tomlinson (2-point conversion good)
N – Osborn 5-yard field goal
TV – Jacob Eherenman 7 run (Santiago kick)
Records – Valley 1-1 (1-0 TRC), Northfield 0-2 (0-1 TRC)
