11/10/1992. Thursday

Gainesville Register Sports Editor, Mike Pender

                Well now that you don’t believe a word I’ve ever said, let’s look at Valley View as they travel to Irving to entertain a nasty Mildred squad.

                First of all, the Eagles may be in for quite a game.  Most people think Valley View shouldn’t sputter in this one, but Mildred is for real.

                In a 42-0 win over Dawson, Mildred (6-4) allowed only 22 total yards of offense.  Their prize running back, Brandon Minatra, scored 50 points in a contest with Frost this year.

                So, nonetheless, Eagles head coach Mark Davidson has his work cut out for him.

                Valley View comes into this one after ending up loop action with a 4-0-1 mark.  They got there with strong defensive play for the most part, but the offense still is streaky.

                Coach Davidson said he feels as if his squad is finally coming around.  And just in the nick of time.  If you’ve forgotten, Davidson instituted a new offense this year and it took a while to get rolling.

                Valley View has been the big dog on the block for quite some time in these parts.  And now it’s time for them to show what they’re made of.

                Let’s hope the Eagles can put some points on the board and keep playing for another week or six.

                Harris feels pretty good about Valley View’s chances as they’re 8-point favorites.  Again, the Eagles need to penetrate the Mildred defense, but….. VALLEY VIEW 18, MILDRED 12.
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11/15/1992, Sunday edition of the Gainesville Daily Register

Valley View rips through Mildred

Staff report
     IRVING – Valley View quarterback Jeremy Tipps unleashed for 160 yards, including two 80-yard touchdowns, to lead the Eagles over Mildred Friday night at Irving School stadium by a 52-16 count in the opening round of the Class A state playoffs.

                Valley View, who moved to 8-2-1 on the year, will next face Gunter at 8 p.m., Friday in Sherman.

                Tipps wasn’t the only Eagle to have an exceptional game.  Lance Morris also played well as he accumulated 105 yards on the ground.  He kicked a field goal, had five extra points, rushed for a touchdown and returned an interception for another.

                Mildred started the contest on fire as they recovered a Valley View fumble on the Eagles 30-yard line.  Ten plays later, Brandon Minatra found paydirt on a 2-yard dive, then Wes Raabe ran it in for the 2-point conversion to give Mildred an early 8-0 lead.

                Valley View struck back in the second quarter on Tipps first 80-yard scamper, then Stephen Lindsey hauled in Tipps pass to knot the score at 8-8 at the intermission.

                The second half would prove to be all Valley View as the Eagles took advantage of five interceptions and two fumbles.  Valley View ripped off 44 unanswered points in the second half to secure the victory.

                Morris started the scoring barrage on a 10-yard run to give the Eagles their first lead of the game at 14-8.

                Morris then nailed a 31-yard field goal to put the Eagles up 17-8 early in the third quarter.

                The Morris show continued as he then picked off an errant pass and ran it back 37 yards for a score, to push the Valley View lead to 24-8.

                Although the Eagles continued their landslide, the momentum changed from Morris hands to receiver Troy Slover.

                Valley View kept on rolling as Slover caught a 22-yard pass from Todd Martindale for a touchdown.  Slover then hauled in a 21-yarder from Tipps for his second scoring catch of the night.

                Tipps again got into the action as he added his second 80-yard scamper, then Michael White closed the coffin with a 29-yard run in the fourth to give Valley View the 36-point margin of victory.