Penn football holds on to edge Valparaiso in Pete Riordan's first game

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.

It was the Watson brothers who made sure their new coach got his first win in this one.

Penn senior quarterback Kellen Watson accounted for seven touchdowns, including rushing for four in an electric effort. The speedy star, who placed third in the 100-meter dash at the track state finals this past spring, rushed for 315 yards on 11 carries and scored on runs of 77, 64, 67 and 26 yards.

The game was not decided though until junior end Quinn Watson, Kellen's younger brother, sacked Valparaiso quarterback Kellan Hosek on the game's final play. The Vikings were facing a third and goal at the Penn seven-yard line when Watson made the final play to seal the win.

Penn, which had won three in a row versus the Vikings, simply outscored Valpo in a game which 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 after the opening stanza. 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. "We have 10 new starters on defense and have a lot to clean up and improve on.

"The great news is that our kids just kept battling. I give our guys credit. The defense got the stop there at the end that we needed.

"Our offense picked us up. We have so many playmakers like Kellen and Tayshon with the potential to score on every play. The big plays tonight was huge for us. But I was really pleased with how we were also able to run the ball and pick up some tough yards that we needed to."

The Kingsmen built a 42-28 lead entering the final period and then held on for the win.

Kellen Watson was 5-12 passing for 126 yards with a trio of touchdown throws to Bardo. Bardo finished with five catches for 126 yards, including touchdown catches of 15, 31 and 50 yards. The Kingsmen finished the night with 536 yards of total offense and just one turnover.

Valpo, which finished 9-3 and won a sectional in 2023, racked up 566 yards of offense. Quarterback Hosek was 16-29 for 299 yards and four touchdowns. Julian Stokes had six receptions for 153 yards and three scores and also ran for a 10-yard touchdown. Thomas Burda had 20 carries for 169 yards on the ground for the Vikings.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn football holds on to edge Valparaiso in Pete Riordan's first game