Talk about setting the tone for a game. The Tippecanoe Red Devils defense did just that in their season-opening football game last Friday night at the Tipp Park.

Tipp dominated all night on the defensive side of the ball, including on the opening possession of the game, leading the Red Devils to a 28-7 win over the Golden Eagles to open the 2024 season 1-0. They now prepare for their MVL opener Friday night, hosting Fairborn.

Over on the offensive side, it was the introduction to sophomore Larkin Thomas at quarterback as he put together a very good opener. In all, Tipp coach Matt Burgbacher was pleased to get the win to kick off the season.

“That is why we scrimmaged who we did this year, we knew what kind of football team Bellbrook is,” Burgbacher said. “We needed to be ready for this and I thought defensively in the first half, we set the tone.”

“They pulled all their gimmicks out there in the first half and we knew we had it.”

Offensively, Tipp came up with some big plays, but also had some turnovers that comes with a new offensive group.

“I thought we left a lot of points on the field tonight but against a good defensive team like that, it will happen,” Burgbacher said. “I like how the game progressed; our offense got better. We started 11 new guys on defense tonight and seven new ones on offense. We had some inexperience; this was a playoff atmosphere, and it was great.”

Tipp’s defense started strong with a big sack from Collin Isaac and Max Howard to force Bellbrook into a punting situation in their first possession, then Tipp went to work.

The Red Devils drove down inside the 20, then Thomas hit Dylan Herndon with a 15-yard scoring pass with 7:50 left in the opening period to give Tipp a 7-0 lead.

Tipp added to their lead with 11:11 left in the second period when Herndon came through and blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Red Devils a 14-0 lead.

In the second half, Thomas connected with Jackson Davis from 35 yards out early in the third period and Tipp was in command 21-0.

After Bellbrook scored in the fourth following a Tipp fumble deep in their own territory, the Red Devils answered quickly when Thomas broke free and sprinted down to the one yard line, then took it home on the next play to close out the scoring.

“We wanted to spread them out and get some throws on the outside so Larkin could build his confidence,” Burgbacher said. “That got him going. He got a little greedy when he threw the interception, but with a young guy, you will have things like that. He is coachable and won’t make that mistake again.”

“The offensive line did a great job getting him time to throw, and honestly, we won all three phases of the game.”

*Tipp hosts Fairborn this Friday on Hall of Fame night, as the Tippecanoe Class of 2024 Athletic Hall of Fame will be introduced prior to the game. Get to the stadium early for that recognition.