Getting far in the postseason of any high school sport is an achievement to be celebrated. It takes commitment, adaptability, and hard work to succeed. It’s an even greater achievement when, after nearly half a century, the high school football team goes all the way to State and wins. That’s why folks gathered on April 18 to present the Valparaiso High School (VHS) Vikings with the 2022 Football State Champion rings, celebrating the incredible dedication of everyone involved.
For many, such as senior Jonah Kyle, the team’s success isn’t surprising in the least. The Vikings put in the effort to be a team on and off the field, and that made a world of difference.
“It's been a long time coming,” said Kyle. “It feels amazing. The group of boys we got to do it with is truly a unique group. We really worked on getting closer together. We went out and had multiple occasions where we’re not even talking about football but just getting to know each other.”
Coach Bill Marshall credited the boys’ resilience as the reason for their continued success, especially towards the end of their season.
“It's just the resiliency, the ability to go ahead and battle the odds. The team’s slogan was against all odds, and they showed it every single day at practice, every game we came up against,” said Marshall. “To be able to rattle off seven victories at the back-end of your season, make it to a state championship game and then come back from behind and win really tells you everything you need to know about the character of these young men and of the program.”
Assistant Freshman Coach James Leftridge was proud, especially considering that he helped train some of the players during the beginning of their high school football careers. He sang both the players’ and the coach’s praises.
“These guys that are juniors right now going into senior year, I got them when they were freshmen, so this is pretty cool to see them grow and develop,” said Leftridge. “When Coach Marshall took over, I knew he was somebody I would come back and coach for. I looked up to him, so it feels great working with him.”
As the team celebrated, the players’ minds turned towards the future. They're confident that the foundation they’ve been building will continue to hold strong in the 2023 season.
“There's some very strong leaders on the team in the younger kids that emerged throughout the year,” said Kyle. “I think, next year, we're gonna see another very strong performance, and I can't say anything for them, but I think they will go as deep as us.”
To cap off the celebration, the Rotary Club of Valparaiso donated $11,500 to VHS’s Athletics Department to ensure that the student athletes at VHS continue to receive the best training, coaching, and care as they progress through their high school career.
Marshall is making sure that the team enjoys its victory without losing sight of what led them to that point.
“We're working one day at a time,” he said. “That's all we're doing.”