Following Valparaiso’s season-opening 34-0 loss to state football power Penn, quarterback Matt Mayes was quick to claim blame for the defeat.
“Penn’s a great team, but we needed to execute early and we didn’t execute,” Mayes said. “Part of that is on my shoulders. We weren’t sustaining drives on offense and our defense was getting tired. That’s something we need to improve on. We have to keep spirits up by getting points on the board.”
Coach Dave Coyle was equally as quick to deflect the blame away from his quarterback. After all, the Vikings were opposing a Kingsmen team that has made back-to-back semistate appearances and holds a 14-0 record against Northwest Indiana teams over the last five years.
“I love Matt because he’s a competitor, but there is nothing that’s on his shoulders,” Coyle said. “He did everything that we asked him to do. It’s a new situation. He works hard in practice and makes great reads.”
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Mayes went 14-for-21 with 67 yards passing, while Bryce Crook led the rushing attack with 39 yards.
“Penn has one of the biggest groups of linemen I’ve seen on both sides of the ball,” Coyle said. “If you want to know what it takes to get (to the state finals), that’s the team you have to play.”
With Coyle calling the offensive plays for the first time, and Sam Bernardi flipping to the role of defensive coordinator, there were bound to be kinks to work out on the season’s first night. The Vikings were limited to 120 yards of total offense and held to 49 yards rushing.
“There are several things that happened with trying to get some plays in and getting personnel on the field,” Coyle said. “That’s on me, that’s not on the kids. That’s something I’ve got to work on.”
Valparaiso had two chances to get on the board in the first half. Jared Smolar missed a 49-yard field-goal try, and later had a 32-yard attempt blocked.
Quarterback Camden Bohn utilized both his arm and his legs to propel Penn. He finished with three rushing touchdowns while accumulating 135 yards passing.
Defensively, Austin Ford provided a bright spot for Valparaiso (0-1). He intercepted a pass in the first quarter, and later blocked an extra point attempt.
“I can’t say enough about that kid,” Coyle said. “He’s a great competitor and never quits.”
Cedric Vakalashi led the Kingsmen (1-0) with 133 yards rushing, including a 76-yard TD early in the second half. Vakalashi’s score gave his team a three-TD lead, and was followed by two more Penn scores to put the game out of reach.
The Vikings staff can take solace in the fact that they finished the game with no major injuries.
“We don’t shy away,” Coyle said. “It’s good for our kids to be a part of this game and know what they have to do to get better if they want to make it down to the dome. We want to continue to play the best.”
Brandon Vickrey is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.