Tipp’s Xavier Melton used his balance and the body of a Sidney tackler to find the end zone in the first quarter of Thursday’s win over the Yellow Jackets. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
With their two primary challengers in the stands to watch, Tipp put on a show in Thursday’s thump of Sidney to convince any who might question…just how good are the Red Devils?
Tipp City, OH – The now unbeaten 6-0 Tipp Red Devils did their best Thursday night to erase any doubts as to how good their record really is – offensively, defensively, special teams, running game, passing game, and depth.
The Red Devils put up 420 yards of total offense, 318 of it in the first half alone, and smashed the outmanned, and winless Sidney Yellow Jackets 62-0 in a Thursday night special edition of Miami Valley League football that, considering the score, wasn’t all that special. Just impressive!
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Impressive, because Tipp is good. Unequivocally, and no questions asked, the unbeaten Red Devils with Larkin Thomas, Will Strong, Xavier Melton, Collin Isaac, the best offensive line in the history of the program, and a swarming defense leaves little doubt that in 2025 they’re good enough to play with anyone they’re apt to see in Division III for the next two months.
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And in fact, as good as anyone they’re going to see in Divisions II or I, short-term, given that Xenia is looming next week, and Troy is out there for the irresistable Cowlesville Road rivalry on October 17.
Offensively, they put Thursday’s tuneup out of reach in the game’s first twenty four minutes…scoring 42 points on 182 yards passing by Larkin Thomas, 128 yards receiving and two touchdowns by Will Strong, and 82 yards rushing and the first of three TDs on the night for Xavier Melton. When the smoke cleared they had 318 yards in total, helped by two Sidney turnovers that were cashed in for touchdowns. Six possessions, and seven touchdowns!
It was blitzkrieg football, Tipp scoring after an opening six-and-out by Sidney on a 37-yard strike from quarterback Larkin Thomas to Will Strong.
Quarterback Larkin Thomas scores a first quarter touchdown during Tipp’s 62-0 win over Sidney.
Two minutes later, after a Sidney punt, Thomas took matters in his own hands and scored from four yards out.
Four minutes later defensive back Max Deckard picked off an errant Sidney pass and returned it 37 yards for a score.
Three minutes later Sidney’s Jamari Combs fumbled, setting up a Xavier Melton one-yard touchdown run…28-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Two minutes into the second quarter Thomas hooked up again with Will Strong, this time from 43 yards…35-0, Tipp.
And in the final minute before halftime, Thomas found Max Deckard standing alone in the end zone for a 23 yard touchdown…42-0, Tipp.
They’re three remaining scores came on a pair of Xavier Melton touchdown runs in the third quarter with a running clock…and a fumble recovery on a punt attempt by Sidney out of their end zone with four minutes remaining in the game.
Standing in the south end zone taking it all in was a handful of Xenia players, measuring what they saw prior to their game on Friday night with Piqua…”A game we should win,” one said resolutely, but his eyes never left the shellacking on the field in front of him as he watched Tipp have their way with the struggling Yellow Jackets.
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“They’re good,” he added. “But we can’t wait to play them next week. We beat ourselves when we played them last year. But we can play with those guys.”
And therein is the $64 thousand dollar question about what Tipp coach Matt Burgbacher has called since July workouts…as complete a group as he’s had since coming back to Tipp in 2019. But just how good are they, and have they really been tested?
The defense was phenomenal…Tipp’s Rohan Nicholls stops forward progress for Sidney’s Jamari Combs.
Their opening win over Bellbrook would seem to have been their stiffest test so far (21-0), and since that win they’ve averaged outscoring Piqua, Fairborn, Stebbins, Butler and Sidney by a margin of 48 to 4.
“We hear it,” said Burgbacher Thursday, pre-game. “So I told them tonight that Xenia and Troy would probably be here watching, so let’s give them something to watch.”
Granted, Sidney is in full-out rebuild mode. But you cannot mistake the obvious athleticism and skill set of Tipp, because as quarterback Larkin Thomas says…”All we can do is play good fundamental football.”
“You focus on your own game,” says Thomas. “You build each week on the positives, and the negatives. You focus on the fundamentals. You worry about playing your own game.
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“Yes, we’re eager for the challenge. But you focus on the little things. We have really good coaches here, the defense is playing phenomenal, the offensive line is great, we’re getting the ball in the hands or our playmakers, so yes, I’m excited about being challenged. We were challenged at Bellbrook in Week 1 and we responded to that. Now I’m excited to see how we respond to another challenge.”
Tipp’s Grant Titley reaches for a would-be scoring strike in the first quarter of Thursday’s win over Sidney.
The first words out of Xavier Melton’s mouth is “team” when given his own opportunity to talk about the questions of red, white, and who have they beaten?
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“I can’t do anything without my line,” he smiles. “Like Larkin says, it’s a team effort. We wouldn’t be where we are any other way. We respect each other, and we trust each other.
“Everyone is eager to play us,” he acknowledges. “But we want that. We like the competition and the opportunity to prove something. That’s what we work for every day. Just one opponent at a time, and take nothing for granted. Especially after what happened last year (the playoff loss to St. Marys). That’s something I won’t stop referencing…something that Coach Burgbacher won’t stop referencing. This is my last year, and I know with the team we have we have something great coming.”
Burgbacher handles the questions deftly, confidently, and always with the same default mechanism about preparation and everyone doing their job.
“Our offensive line just keeps getting better,” he begins. “Because you can have the best skill guys out there, but if you don’t have an offensive line those guys aren’t going to be as good. They were very good tonight…we were able to do what we wanted to do. So it starts up front.
“But we’re just a team. Every game it’s someone different that steps up and makes a play. And defensively it’s just an attitude. Our guys know that I’m going to put them in some bad situations because punting’s not my favorite thing to do. So teams are going to have some short fields against us, but with the right mentality we’ve had some success. You know what they say…that offense puts butts in the seats, but defense wins championships.”
Sidney’s Jamari Combs was quick, elusive, and responsible for most of the Yellow Jackets’ yardage on the ground.
He has no illusions about next week being different than last year’s game with Xenia.
“They know what we’re getting into next week. Same type of game, a four-quarter football game, but it’s good because we’re healthy as we’ve been all year. And the kids are eager to get that challenge. The schedule is the schedule and we’ve got to go out and do what we do. It’s not the will to win that matters. It’s the will to prepare that matters, and our kids have prepared very well.”
Burgbacher’s words are imprinted in the thinking and psyche of his players – attitude, mentality, will, and preparation – and none more than Larkin Thomas.
How confident is he that this team is going to respond to a better challenge…to quiet those who question?
“Yes, absolutely,” he assures. “I believe in our guys and our guys believe in our coaches. We know we’re going to respond.”
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