WABASH – It would be easy to look at the statistics from Tippecanoe Valley’s 30-29 Three Rivers Conference football loss at Wabash and ask how in the world did that happen?
The Apaches did everything they could, especially in the first half, to give the game away. They fumbled 15 times, all but one on high snaps to quarterback Devin Higdon, and he corralled several more snaps that sailed higher than his helmet.
Wabash had 12 penalties, three inside the 3-yard line that set up scoring opportunities for the Vikings.
As a team, Wabash had 28 rushing attempts for negative 65 yards – and won.
Valley had its chances. Alex Morrison got the Vikings off to a fast start by blocking a punt in the endzone that went out of the endzone for a safety less than four minutes into the game.
The ensuing free kick was returned by Cameron Parker to the Apache 15-yard line, and three plays later Tanner Trippiedi had a touchdown run from seven yards out. Valley went for a two-point conversion, but Trippiedi was stopped short of the end zone.
Wabash quickly tied the game, but Parker returned that kickoff 68 yards for the touchdown. Late in the second quarter, Morrison had the first of his two 6-yard touchdown runs to give Valley a 23-8 lead with 2:16 left before halftime.
It was then the Apaches came alive. Wabash scored two touchdowns in the last 23 seconds of the half, aided by a Trippiedi interception, to tie the game. Higdon hit Austin Vinopal from 40 yards out, with Vinopal winning the 50/50 ball over Trippiedi at the goal line, to tie the game as time expired.
Late in the third quarter, Higdon found Austin Wieland for a 55-yard catch-and-run for the go-ahead score. Higdon was 24 of 35 for 353 yards and three touchdowns in the game.
Morrison scored his second TD with more than eight minutes to play, but rather than tie the game up with a kick, Viking interim coach Jeff Shriver opted to go for two. Morrison was stopped short up the middle, but Wabash gave the Vikings a second chance with a face mask penalty. Morrison couldn’t churn his way through the left side for the lead.
“We might have gone to overtime, but I chose to go for two. I take full responsibility for that decision as a coach,” Shriver said. “Guys at practice, even as late as (Thursday) night, we couldn’t snap, hold or kick the football.
“So we weren’t feeling as confident as we should in our kicking game.”
Wabash then returned to its run game in an attempt to run out the clock. A key Valley penalty, a late hit on fourth down, extended the drive. Ultimately, Wabash lost a fumble at the Valley 16, but the Vikings had four incomplete passes to end the game.
Shriver spoke of the issues off the field that his team played through, most recently the indefinite suspension of head coach Steve Moriarty.
“I’m proud of the way we battled. Our kids have not had an easy time. In four years at Tippecanoe Valley, I’m the fifth head coach, and I’m proud of the seniors for hanging in there through the adversity,” he said. “If you look at this game tonight, it didn’t turn our way, but our kids didn’t quit.
“The way it turned out, Wabash made the plays and Tippecanoe Valley didn’t. I’m the head coach right now, and I take responsibility to make sure our kids get better in time for next week.”
Trippiedi had 45 yards passing and 25 yards rushing for Valley, and Morrison added 68 yards on the ground plus his two scores.
Valley (2-6) will host North Miami in the TRC playoff game on Friday. The Warriors blanked the Vikings in Denver on Sept. 1.
WABASH 30, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 29
TV 16 7 0 6 – 29
W 8 15 7 0 – 30
TV W
1st downs 11 15
Rushing yds 118 -62
Passing yds 45 353
Comp-Att-Int 7-13-0 4-6-0
Total yds 163 291
Fumbles/lost 0-0 15-1
Penalties/yds 7-65 12-65
Punts/avg. 4-36 4-25
First Quarter
TV – Alex Morrison blocked punt out of end zone 8:36, 2-0
TV – Tanner Trippiedi 7 run (run failed) 7:36, 8-0
W – Devin Higdon 1 run (Austin Vinopal pass from Higdon) 4:48, 8-8
