Defensive, Defense, More Defense
Clayton, OH — If you wanted offense, you were disappointed. Tipp's Andy Vanover, a 6-foot-2, 188-pound junior came in to the game with better than 1,600 yards on the ground. Valley View's Brock Bolen a 6-foot, 230-pound fullback has chalked up 1,850 yards on 225 carries and scored 37 touchdowns (32 rushing).
Both defenses limited the big running threat each team possessed. Bolen had 85 yards while the stingy Spartan defense held Vanover to just 65 yards.
The Tipp backfield was pounded all evening by the relentless pursuit of the Spartan defense which limited the Red Devils to just 174 yards of offense. A big chunck came on a 65-yard pass play from QB Andy Watkins to WR Matt Couch to answer a previous Spartan score to take the lead 10-7.
Joe Swanson (17 tackles), Danny King (15 tackles), Josh Kosusek (15 tackles), Clint Hanahan (14 tackles), Brandon Ritze, Matt Guterrez, and Josh Smith were all over the field helping to contain the Red Devil offense until the Spartan scoring machine could spring into action.
It was sr. DL Matt Gates that put the final crushing blow on a last minute Tipp effort when he sacked Watkins on the Tipp 8-yard line with just over a minute to play. With the Red Devils holding a time-out in their pocket and the Spartans leading by only a touchdown, View QB Teddy Buehner called Bolen's number who fought the eight yards necessary to give the Valley View a two touchdown cushion with just 1:00 remaining in play.
The score will never really tell the story of how close this game actually was played. On paper both teams appeared equal. The Spartan offense was always just one play away from cracking the Tipp defense. A critical interception by Red Devil standout Ross Vagedes in the endzone stopped an early Spartan drive that would have changed the tone of the game.
A Spartan fumble at their own 6 yard line resulted in only 3 points for the Red Devils and fueled the intensity of the Valley View defense. This game was all about the big plays and the Spartans made them when they were needed to be made. One play here or there and this game could have flipped either way.
Two big plays for the Spartans came during the fourth quarter that fueled the offensive intensity needed to overcome the Tipp defense. On fourth and long, Buehner found Keith Burnett for a 21-yard gain on a fake punt from midfield to keep alive the drive. That resulted in a 26-yard field goal from Justin Givens to tie the score 10-10 with 8:01 to play.
The second big play came after a dead ball personal foul had backed the Spartans up making it first and very long. Buehner rolls right and finds the speedy Ross Peters for a 79-yard touchdown at the 2:33 mark. The Buehner-Peters combination has played a major role over the past few games.
Tipp finishes the season at 9-3 while Valley View remains undefeated at 12-0 advancing to the Regional Finals for the 10th time in 11 years. They will meet Urbana, a 15-7 winner over St. Mary's.
79-yard TD video
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