Larkin Thomas had another big night for Tippecanoe against Butler (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie Wright-Daniel)
Larkin Thomas and the Tippecanoe Red Devils knocked out Butler with a second quarter blitz of turnovers and touchdowns
Tipp City, OH — The Butler High School football team rolled into town Friday night with a 4-0 record.
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The Aviators boasted the Miami Valley League’s leading rusher (Jace Love) and a dangerous passing game powered by first-year starting QB Drew Suess and two of the top receivers in the league in Lucas Miller and Landon Thompson.
Host Tippecanoe entered 3-1 and still bearing a few scars from a Week 1 shellacking at the hands of Bellbrook on the same City Park field.
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But the Red Devils won their next three by a combined score of 153-14 to set up a rivalry game billed all over the place as the game of the week in the Miami Valley.
The Red Devils had not only tradition but also Larkin Thomas, a senior quarterback looking for his third MVL title in as many years as the starter, on their side, and that would prove to be more than enough.
While the Tipp lineup features many new faces, Thomas is the steady hand who also happens to have sweet feet and a shoulder he’s not afraid to lower when he needs to.
Those all came in handy as he ran for four touchdowns and threw for another as the Red Devils (4-1) buried Butler 42-0.
Aviators QB Suess threw a pass that was tipped away from the hands of his intended receiver and landed in the arms of the Red Devil’s DE Toby Hoover.
“He’s a true leader,” said junior running back Colston Artz, who scored two touchdowns for Tippecanoe. “And the way he when he lifts himself up, he’s always hyping someone else up, making sure all of us top of our game.”
Butler had a chance to score first after a 67-yard pass play from Suess to Miller gave the Aviators the ball at the Tipp 13, but the offense stalled and a field goal attempt went wide left.
That was all the opening Thomas and the Red Devils needed.
After a fruitless first possession, Tippecanoe went 80 yards in 10 plays with Thomas finishing the march by going in untouched from four yards out with 2:34 left in the first quarter.
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After forcing a turnover on downs at the Tipp 33, the Red Devils went on another methodical march capped by a short touchdown run by Thomas to go ahead 14-0. This time it was a nine-play, 67-yard drive that took a little more than three minutes off the clock.
Butler QB Drew Suess drops back to pass with James Merry in pursuit for Tippecanoe.
With 8:40 to go in the second quarter, the Aviators appeared to have plenty of time to mount a comeback, but instead things unraveled on them as Tippecanoe showed why it is a four-time defending league champ.
Suess returned from the massive hit he took on the next-to-last play of the previous drive only to absorb a nine-yard loss on a sack by Tipp’s James Merry.
Butler punted two plays later, and the Red Devils were clearly gaining momentum.
Artz amped it up further by slipping out the backdoor with a sprint draw handoff and streaking down the right sideline for 42 yards to the Butler 30.
Thomas went off right tackle for 18 more on the next play, then he watched Artz finish the job with runs of five, four and a 2-yard touchdown to make it 21-0 with 4:12 left.
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“Teams know in certain situations that we’re probably going to roll out, so it’s just a counter that they have to worry about,” said Tipp coach Matt Burgbacher of Artz’s big run.
The Aviators were reeling but still looked to have time to counter with Suess and his impressive set of big, tall receivers, but things just continued to spiral for the visitors instead.
Talen Hoover returns an interception for Tippecanoe against Butler.
Merry screamed in from Suess’ left and laid a massive hit on him on second down, causing a fumble that was recovered by Luke Graham for Tippecanoe at the Butler 24.
Two plays later, Thomas found the end zone again, this time going around right end for 18 yards to make it 28-0 with 2:35 left in the half.
Still the Red Devils weren’t done.
Butler again tried to mount a drive before the quarter ran out, and again it blew up in the Avs faces.
They made it across midfield, but Suess threw a pass over the middle that went through the hands of his intended receiver and landed in the arms of Tippecanoe DB Talan Hoover.
He returned the interception to the Butler 45, and 15 more yards were tacked on because he was tackled by his facemask.
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Tipp took over with 1:14 to go, and three plays later Artz weaved through the Butler defense for a 13-yard touchdown and a 35-0 lead.
“I mean, we let things get away,” Butler coach Zach Gueth said. “First, Tipp beat us up. They were a more physical team. They made plays when they needed to, and they were definitely by far the better team tonight. That’s what the scoreboard said. You know, there’s some things we did well early, and we didn’t capitalize.”
Tipp coach Matt Burgbacher reacts to a play in a win over Butler.
With the running clock engaged, Tipp tacked on one more touchdown when Thomas flipped a shovel pass to Titley and he streaked around end from 15 yards out early in the third quarter.
That exclamation point served as one more reminder the MVL is Tipp’s conference until someone takes their title, but the Red Devils might not have minded being underdogs for once.
“We just we prepped to win,” Artz said. “Like we would see all these score predictions — there was one that had us losing 28-27. We just we took that serious. I mean, practice every day was hard, and we were just working, working just to beat those guys.”
With Butler trying to limit the Tipp passing game, Artz proved to be a great second option for the Red Devils.
One of the many new starters, he’s excited to be taking up the mantle to maintain Tipp’s winning tradition.
James Merry was hot in pursuit for Butler QB Drew Suess most of the night… one the sacks he encountered.
“It’s definitely different,” Artz said of stepping into a major role this season, “but the good thing is the guys that didn’t play as much last year — of course it’s like my class — we all we all got super close and we were all friends with that the class above us, and we just got so close so quick. Even after the week one loss, we just got closer and closer, and it’s just it’s really what’s keeping us together and beating all these teams by so many points.”
On the other side, the 6-3, 170-pound Suess showed off an impressive arm, but more than that he displayed toughness. He had to with the way the Red Devils got after him all night, including the sack fumble and a big hit at the end of a gutsy third-and-long scramble in the second quarter.
Overall, the Aviators just weren’t able to sustain much of an attack. Love squirted free a few times, but he was largely contained.
“They did some things in those first couple series that we hadn’t seen on film, and they got us,” Burgbacher said. “We knew we were going to give up some completions. We knew we were going to give up some yards, but that’s our defense. We bent, but we never broke, and I just thought the the line of scrimmage, our offensive line and defensive line controlled this game. That’s what won the football game, and they’ve been playing great these last four weeks, and they keep getting better and better.”
Next up for Tippecanoe is a trip to Sidney next Friday while Butler will host Greenville.
Kellen Sellars kicks one of six PATs against Butler for Tippecanoe.
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