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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Continuing the Bell rivalry even though they will no longer be conference rivals, the Rochester and Tippecanoe Valley football teams will meet on Aug. 25 at Barnhart Field.
RTC confirmed the news with officials from both schools Tuesday.
Tippecanoe Valley told the Three Rivers Conference on March 31, and they announced that they would be forming a new, as-yet-to-be-named conference with John Glenn, Jimtown, Bremen, Knox and LaVille starting in the 2024-25 school year on April 10.
The remaining principals in the TRC voted to remove Valley from the conference, effective at the end of this school year, at a meeting on April 21. That meant that Valley would be an independent in 2023-24 and put future meetings between Rochester and Valley in all sports in question.
But perhaps no Rochester vs. Valley sporting event is as celebrated as the annual football game between the schools.
This will mark the 45th time in the last 46 years that Rochester and Valley have met in football. This will also be the 36th time they have met for the Bell. The Bell was introduced to the rivalry in 1987, the same year Rochester joined the TRC to become conference rivals with Valley.
The Zebras and Vikings did not play in 2021 due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Rochester roster, but that is the only time they have not played since 1978.
RTC also learned that Valley will announce the rest of its 2023 football schedule on Wednesday.
In addition, RTC also learned that Rochester will play new TRC rival Lewis Cass in Week 5 on Sept. 15 at Barnhart Field.
Except for 2021, Rochester and Valley had met in Week 5 every year since 2019, but with Valley now a nonconference game, it moves up on the schedule.
Rochester opens the season on the road against Wabash on Aug. 18. Valley travels to Wawasee that same night.
Lewis Cass replaces Knox on the Zebra schedule. Rochester had played Knox four of the last five years in Week 2, including a dizzying 48-46 scoring duel last year.
