Wes Melanson will be a key figure for the 2018 Tippecanoe Valley football team. (File photo by Mike Deak)

AKRON – 2017 certainly wasn’t one for the books for the Tippecanoe Valley football program, but that was a year ago. The program has vowed to move on and is bringing an enthusiasm that could turn the tide very quickly.

Several key skill position players are back in the Viking horns this fall, including the team’s top three rushers and a host of pass catchers.

Immediately jumping off the charts is senior Alex Morrison, who led the team in all-purpose yards last season. The senior running back collected 570 total yards, leading the team with 418 rushing yards and added seven total touchdowns. Morrison again should carry the load for the offense. Cam Parker and Wes Melanson combined for over 450 rushing yards and had 18 catches for over 200 yards receiving. All three seniors should see plenty of touches in the offense.

“We’ve been having senior leadership classes in the offseason to get together to develop that missing piece, that leadership on the field,” said head coach Steve Moriarty. “These kids have really embraced it, having a better positive attitude. They have had a long journey with five different head coaches. We feel comfortable with each other. They know what I want, and I listen to what they want and we try to adapt. Boy, they are solid.”

Valley will have to fill a huge hole at quarterback as starter Tanner Trippiedi decided not to return. Trippiedi had thrown for almost 900 yards and rushed for over 100 more, creating a void Moriarty feels can be filled in by Noah Miller. The senior did connect for three touchdowns on 21 pass attempts last season in spot duty, but will take the lion’s share of snaps this year. Miller, on the other hand, was the team’s leading receiver at 10 catches for 233 yards and four scores, so someone will need to step forward.

“Noah is a senior, and that means something because they have a tendency to know that this is their last chance,” Moriarty said. “They want things pretty clean and crisp, and he’s a good kid to do it.”

Where Valley had trouble last year was closing games. A 2-8 finish wasn’t what Moriarty wanted in his first season, including a pair of frustrating back-to-back losses to Rochester and Wabash after the team strung together Three Rivers Conference wins against Whitko and Manchester. A 33-14 loss to Peru in the first round of the sectional left the club hungry to prove itself. The Wabash game saw Valley take a big lead, only for Wabash to basically throw over the top to upset the Vikings. Several other games, including a loss at Bremen, had Valley in it down just 14-13 at the half before the team wore down in the second half, being outscored 27-0.

Defensively, Moriarty wants to see more of his secondary. Jalen Potter at safety should help anchor the back while Jalen Shepherd and Dwight Conley at linebacker should solidify the middle of the field.

“I think with the anchors in the middle, we’ve got a lot of big kids,” Moriarty said. “That’s different than the past. With Trey Hardesty and Michael Sexton up front, it’ll be hard to push us around. We won’t chase many people down from the middle, but we’re not going to get pushed around either.”

Valley begins the 2018 season at home against Bremen.