This week, the Valparaiso Vikings take on long-time rival Chesterton in the battle for the Campbell/Meridian Cup. More than just a football game, this matchup carries decades of tradition, pride, and community spirit.

The Campbell-Meridian Cup

The Campbell-Meridian Cup is awarded annually to the winner of the game between your Valparaiso Vikings and the Chesterton Trojans. Its roots trace back to the former Sunset Hill dairy farm, which sat at the halfway point between the two schools. The trophy itself is a decorated milk jug—hand-painted by art students from both Valpo and Chesterton—symbolizing the shared history of the Porter County area.

In the lead-up to this year’s contest, Coach Marshall handed the mic over to two Viking players on opposite sides of the ball to share their thoughts. What follows are their words—straight from the locker room, filled with pride, perspective, and motivation for their teammates.

Defense

Ben Fedorchak #48, keeps it simple but powerful—reminding teammates to take pride in every moment, cherish the bonds they’ve built, and leave it all on the field.

I’m gonna keep it pretty simple. He has a lot more to say than I do probably, but um, guys, like a big thing of this team—or not this team, but this game—is like obviously it’s a big rivalry. But to be honest, it doesn’t really matter. It’s just another game on our schedule. So just go out there and play.

But a big thing for me, that I’ve always played football as, I’m like—I want to pass on to you guys: make yourself and everybody else who’s watching proud. Like do something, do something that you’re gonna remember. Because at the end of the day, 20 years from now, you’re not gonna remember a single game, but you’re gonna remember a handful of plays that you made and like the people you’ve met and the things like the celebrations you did with them after that play, or like how happy it was, like the bus rides were and stuff like that.

So just go out there and make yourself proud and look at the person next to you today and realize like you’re never gonna play with the same group of people ever again. Like the seniors who are graduating, think about it. It could be your last game, and everybody here—it could always be your last game every single time you step on that field. Just think about that. Like, you could step on the field and never play football again every single time you step on the field.

So make the plays that you are out there worth it. Like, just know that the person next to you has your back at all times, and let the person next to you know that you have their back. And at the end of the day, it’s a game, so go out there and have fun. You’ll win some, you’ll lose some. This year we’ve lost a lot more than we’ve won, and it sucks, so go out there and change that.

Just do the best you can and have fun.

Offense

Kellan Hosek #8, speaks to the history of the rivalry, the pride of wearing the Viking jersey, and the importance of sacrifice and playing for one another.

This rivalry is long and storied, fueled by countless close games that have lasted decades. When you come out tomorrow, ignore records, rankings, ignore what people outside this group are saying, ignore score predictions, and black out all outside noise. Tomorrow when you step on the field, you’re not only representing yourself, but the people around you and your team, as well as everyone who has worn a Viking jersey before you.

This game comes down to who wants it more. It really comes down to pride. Come out and set the tone. Tomorrow night, don’t play for stats or personal glory, play for the person beside you.

Last year in overtime, we fought and clawed back. We didn’t lose hope and we knew what to do. We earned that win and we all remember how that felt—but so do they. They remember how we ended their season and sent them home crying.

Ask yourself, how much are you willing to sacrifice? When the final whistle blows tomorrow, walk off the field knowing you did everything you could and left it all out there.

Leave no regrets, and let’s go show them who we are.

Last Thoughts

As the Vikings prepare to take the field against Chesterton, their words serve as a reminder that football is about more than wins and losses. It’s about pride, tradition, and playing for the teammates beside you.

The Campbell/Meridian Cup is on the line, but so is something greater—the chance to create lasting memories and carry forward the spirit of Viking football.