Simms steps into spotlight for Valparaiso

VALPARAISO — Stephen Simms was not supposed to be the premier running back this season. But on Friday night, Valparaiso had no choice but to put the junior in that role.

With junior running back Andrew Kittridge already out with an injury coming into the game, senior Bryon Duncan, the Vikings’ leading rusher, went down on the sixth play from scrimmage and had to be helped off the field. He was taken away with an undisclosed injury to his right leg.

That left Simms — all 5 feet, 6 inches and 145 pounds of him.

And he was clutch.

Simms carried 27 times for 193 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Valparaiso to a 38-21 Duneland Conference victory over Michigan City, on a night when the Vikings unveiled their new video scoreboard.

“Really, I was a little scared,” Simms said. “But the coaches pumped me up and my teammates pumped me up. I just did the best I could do.”

Simms’ 10-yard dash into the end zone with 7:27 to play in the second quarter gave the Vikings (2-2, 2-0 DAC) a 28-0 lead. It seemed the rout was on, because at that point, Valparaiso was running its offense nearly as efficiently as possible.

Quarterback Paul Andrie, who finished the night with 243 yards passing, completed his first 11 passes, and the Vikings had positive yardage on their first 30 plays. They were cruising.

“Offensively, we did about all we could,” Valparaiso coach Mark Hoffman said.

But then the Wolves woke up. Rashem Bell took the direct snap on a fake punt and sprinted 73 yards for a touchdown to pull Michigan City to within 28-7. After a Valparaiso field goal, the Wolves (1-3, 0-2 DAC) went 88 yards on seven plays, with Joel Hirsch hitting Donovan Wilson for a 24-yard touchdown with 1:22 left in the first half.

That made it 31-14, but then Michigan City’s Anthony Catchings recovered a Simms fumble on the ensuing kickoff and returned it 38 yards for a score. All of a sudden it was 31-21 with 1:07 left in the second quarter.

“We gave up two easy scores and let them back in the ballgame,” Hoffman said.

Michigan City, however, managed just 48 yards of offense in the second half, and the Vikings added an Andrie 1-yard sneak late in the third quarter to stave off any possible Wolves rally.

In addition to Duncan, Valparaiso lost offensive lineman Paul Runyan to injury and linebacker Jake Grossnickle.

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