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MISHAWAKA — The Pete Riordan Era is off to an exhilarating start.
Maybe just a little bit too heart-stopping for the new Penn High School football coach though.
The Kingsmen outscored Valparaiso 49-42 in a track meet like contest Friday night in the season opener at TCU Freed Field.
Penn, which had won three in a row versus the Vikings, sealed the win with a late stop by its defense in a game that saw both offenses light up the scoreboard.
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Penn (1-0) travels to Mishawaka (1-0) next Friday night. The Cavemen beat Marian 41-24 Friday night.
Riordan, who took over for Hall of Fame coach Cory Yeoman this past spring, saw his team persevere in the end.
“I’m tired, but super happy for our seniors,” said Riordan in a phone interview Friday night following his first win. “It was a very exciting night for the fans. I’m glad that we were able to hold on. We honored the Yeoman family tonight before the game so it means a ton to me to win this one. “
The Kingsmen, who finished 10-2 a year ago and won a Class 6A sectional, graduated 10 of its 11 starters on defense,. Valparaiso, which lost to Penn 38-21 in 2023, led 14-7. The Kingsmen responded to lead 21-14 at halftime after quarterback Kellen Watson fired two touchdown tosses to Tayshon Bardo. Watson, a track star who played mainly receiver a year ago, opened the scoring with an electric 77-yard touchdown run of his own.
Riordan, a South Bend Saint Joseph’s graduate who served as the defensive coordinator for the Kingsmen under Yeoman, knows his inexperienced defense has plenty of work to do.
“It was a frustrating night for our defensive coaches, but also give credit to Valparaiso,” Riordan said….
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/hs-football-kingsmen-hold-edge-034110916.html
Author : South Bend Tribune
Publish date : 2024-08-24 03:41:10
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