Bell game preview: Senior-led Rochester offensive line seeks to move stout Valley defense

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Grant Clark Gage Overbey Matt Crossland Wes Parker

Tippecanoe Valley (1-0) at Rochester (1-0), 7 p.m.

The Rochester football team averaged 34 points per game last year. They scored 12 against Tippecanoe Valley in the Bell game – they got nothing after the first quarter – and lost.

The Zebras averaged 38 points per game in 2023. They scored 8 against Valley – nothing after their first drive – in the Bell game and lost.

The Zebras averaged 40 points per game in 2022. They scored 17 against Valley in the Bell game and lost.

The 2021 Bell game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Valley steamrolled Rochester 54-0 in 2020 and held the Zebras to 6 yards rushing.

The Zebras averaged 22 points per game in 2019. They scored 14 against Valley in the Bell game – nothing in the second half – and lost. 

The Zebras averaged 30 points per game in 2018. They scored 7 against Valley in the Bell game and lost in a storybook game that seemingly rejuvenated Death Valley football.

Now the Zebras will again try to move the ball against a Valley defense that would appear to be formidable again. In last week’s 20-3 win over Plymouth, Valley’s defense had more interceptions (four) than points allowed.

Rochester coach Ron Shaffer said Valley’s defense requires defenders to be disciplined and quickly communicate with one another. 

“We’re seeing a lot more odd fronts out of teams that we are even,” Shaffer said. “So Valley is kind of becoming one of the few teams that runs an even front. We’re one of the few teams that runs an even front anymore. A lot of people like the odd front because it’s easy to adjust out of, but it can also become weaker in the run game.

“It’s a gap exchange scheme is what it is. You’ll see a lot of gap exchanges where if, like, we go to trap, they’re going to try to exchange the defensive tackle for the back over the top. So it’s not uncommon; it’s just kind of a dying defense. But it’s still a very good defense when you’re disciplined and you do exactly what you’re supposed to do. And I think that’s why some teams have stopped running it too – because they don’t have coaches that can coach it or they don’t want to take the time. And you can tell that Valley’s coached very well in their defense and what they’re trying to do fundamentally.”

Hunter Paxton led Valley with seven tackles against Plymouth, and he also had an interception. Linebackers Ty Kiser, Diego Gonsalez and Grady Moriarty combined to swallow up 16 tackles, and junior safety Owen Omondi had five tackles and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

Gage Overbey had three tackles to lead the Valley defensive line as coach Stephen Moriarty continued to rotate in fresh bodies.

“We tried to make sure that we had the inside secure, trying to spill everything to our unblocked outside linebackers,” coach Moriarty said. “I think our kids did a good job of reading their keys in the second half and just cleaning things up a little bit to be successful.”

Rochester comes in off a 42-0 win over Southwood last week. The wing-T offense produced 346 yards rushing, and that was with Brant Beck, who had over 1,400 yards rushing last year, not carrying the ball after halftime.

And if Valley distributed its tackles fairly evenly against Plymouth, the Rochester offense distributed the ball similarly against Southwood.

No Rochester runner had more than eight carries, and 10 different Rochester runners had at least one carry.

Rochester will start four seniors on their offensive line: left tackle Declan Gard, left guard Mason Hisey, right guard Callen Ferverda and right tackle Matt Crossland. Sophomore center Derek Wortley will join them.

“I thought they did a good job,” coach Moriarty said of Rochester’s offensive line play against Southwood. “They really do well coming off the ball on their double teams, and they’re very athletic enough to pull and be able to block in open spaces too, especially on their power pitch. Their offensive line is very aggressive. To me, it’s better than the line they had last year coming off the ball. They got a really talented group of linemen. … Their offense is put together well. It’s a system offense where they’ve done it for years, and it’s difficult to stop. Being able to slow them down will be a challenge, but they come off the ball well, and they’re hard to stop too with their pulling guards being so athletic, so we’ll have to be really disciplined on D to stop them.”

Offensively, Valley had 246 yards rushing against Plymouth. Wes Parker led with 19 carries for 123 yards, and Grady Moriarty added 79 yards on 14 carries. Quarterback Hunter Stage added a 73-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, the Rochester defense held Southwood to one first down and 17 yards of total offense. They rotated in eight different defensive linemen with Crossland and Camden Susaraba rotating in at defensive tackle and sophomores Owen Lett and Aiden Wilson giving defensive ends Grant Clark and Hisey in the second half.

“They’re good at tackling,” coach Moriarty said of the Zebra defense. “I think they’ve always been a good team for tackling. It seemed like this week in particular that they did a good job of wrapping up the ball carrier, and they did a good job of tackling in space too, which really helps for what they’re trying to do. Their linebackers move well, and their defensive ends are the ones that worry me. They had great success last year with their defensive ends, and Clark’s back. He’s a very good player. Finding ways to block him will be a challenge.”

Shaffer was asked how Valley likes to get the ball to Parker and Grady Moriarty. Parker is more renowned for his speed, and the 223-pound Grady Moriarty is known for his power, but Valley will try to get the ball on the perimeter to Grady Moriarty as well.

“Parker moves around, and that makes it difficult,” Shaffer said. “Because he’s anywhere from that guy in the sidecar beside the quarterback, or he’s at a wing position, or he might be out wide, so they move him around a lot. He’s dangerous anywhere he’s aligned. (He’s) not really deceivingly fast; he’s just fast. And he bounces well from gap to gap. If he gets the ball on the perimeter, you may as well forget about it. If he gets the ball in the open field, he has finishing speed. Grady does run the ball more inside, but they will toss the ball to him every once in awhile and hit him on a screen or a quick pass. So they’re both complementary to each other really well.”

And if weapons like Parker and Grady Moriarty are not decisive factors, then Overbey could be. Overbey kicked two 48-yard field goals against Plymouth – they were the two longest field goals in school history – and he has 16 field goals for his career.

Meanwhile, Rochester does not have a kicker on their roster who has kicked an extra point or a field goal.

“He’s a weapon,” Shaffer said of Overbey. “Everybody’s going to have to be solid. We can’t do anything about the fact that he can kick a 48-yarder. We just have to make sure we’re defending well and we get pressure on if he comes out there, and we account for everybody. If he’s kicking field goals or they’re attempting to kick field goals, that means we’re getting a chance to get off the field, so we just have to take advantage of that.”

Rochester senior wingback-safety Jabez Yarber will miss the game due to a suspension. Coach Moriarty said that Kolten Sisk and Cale DeWees are both “questionable.” Sisk has a foot injury, and DeWees has a knee injury.