Tipp cruises to 3-0 with dominant victory

Things started rough for the Tippecanoe football team on the opening kickoff, but for the rest of the game, the Red Devils poured it on Friday night against MVL foe Fairborn at the Stadium.

On Hall of Fame night, the Red Devils crushed the Skyhawks 55-7 to remain unbeaten on the season, moving to 3-0 on the young season. “Yes, the first play of the game... we can’t allow that to happen,” Tipp coach Matt Burgbacher said. “But we responded the right way. Our defense knows we may put them in binds, but they didn’t break. We also did that at the end of the first half.” “Those two defensive stands right there are who we are. Offensively, we are going to put points on the board, but we are going to win with defense.”

Tipp fumbled the opening kickoff, giving the Skyhawks the perfect opportunity to strike first. But even with a start on the Tipp 35 yard line, they could not muster a first down as Tipp took over when Colin Isaac recovered a fumble on their third play of the drive. The Red Devils didn’t waste any time when Will Strong capped a short drive with a 15-yard run to put Tipp on the board first just over two minutes into the game.

After another quick three-and-out for Fairborn, Tipp went to work again. Larkin Thomas broke loose and outran the Fairborn defense 43 yards for a touchdown on the keeper, quickly putting seven more on the board. They struck again on their next series, and it didn’t take long. A 77-yard touchdown pass from Thomas to Strong sent the stadium into a frenzy, and a 21-0 lead with still 5:29 left in the opening quarter. “We told the guys we have got to get off to a fast start,” Burgbacher said. “They have two big wins, but Fairborn had not fallen behind, and once we got the ball and moved down the field, they were in a position they had not been in this year.”

Again, the Red Devils dominated with the football, as they took their next drive straight down the field inside the Fairborn 15 yard line, and when Strong sprinted in from 13 yards out, Tipp led 28-0 early in the second quarter. The Red Devils then went on a five minute drive covering 65 yards, which included two third-down conversions, and ending with a five yard run from Max Deckard with 4:44 left in the half.  This sent Tipp into a possible running clock mode in the second half as Tipp led 34-0.

After Isaac picked off a deflected pass late in the half, Tipp went down to add to their lead with two minutes left when Xavier Melton punched it in from one-yard out, and the game did go to a running clock in the second half with Tipp leading 41-0. Strong added another score late in the third period to push the lead to 48-0, then in the final two minutes of the game, Nathan Franklin scored from 15 yards out to cap the scoring for the Red Devils. Fairborn did score a touchdown in the fourth period. Tipp is now 3-0 on the season and heads into Stebbins this Friday night. Through the first three games, Burgbacher is pleased with what he has seen.

“We have got to stay healthy, but I love where this team is,” the Tipp coach said. “Anything can happen, and this is a fun group to be around.”