There was a degree of uncertainty about the play. Did Merrillville senior defensive end Trenton Nixon intercept a pass or recover a fumble?
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Northern Illinois recruit clarified it was indeed the first pick-six of his career.
“I was pass rushing, and the ball ended up in my hands, and I just ran,” Nixon said. “It was a pick. It was a pick, but I was lost. I just ran.”
Nixon returned the interception 29 yards for a touchdown as part of the Pirates’ 48-14 victory against visiting Valparaiso in a Class 5A regional championship game on Friday night. It’s their fifth such title in six seasons, a run interrupted only by Valparaiso’s state championship in 2022.
“Coach told us we need to capitalize, and I told him, ‘I got you. Put the game in the defense’s hands,’” Nixon said.
Merrillville coach Brad Seiss was happy for Nixon.
“Trent’s a big-time player,” Seiss said. “He’s going to Northern Illinois. It’s awesome to see him get a pick-six — or whatever it was. All of a sudden, he’s running for a touchdown. We’ll watch the film.”
Nixon also had a key sack as Merrillville (11-1), which is ranked No. 3 in 5A in both the media poll and the state coaches poll, closed the first half with No. 7/8 Valparaiso (8-4) near midfield.
“He had a big sack at the end. … Him getting the sack to not even let them get to a Hail Mary situation was huge,” Seiss said. “And then just making plays. He was part of a bunch of TFLs, pressuring the quarterback. He played like a senior captain is expected to.”
Nixon — who played linebacker, the position for which he was recruited, last season — entered the game with 39 tackles with seven for loss, seven sacks and an interception. He had 58 tackles with two for loss and two sacks last season.
Nixon enjoys racking up the sacks.
“I love tackles,” he said. “I love making plays. But sacks is different. You can feel the rush. You can feel the adrenaline. It’s like lightning through your body.”
Merrillville junior running back Jac’Quarious “JQ” Johnson brought the thunder, barreling his way to 224 yards and two TDs on 28 carries. Sophomore running back Cameron Jordan added 112 yards and two TDs on 10 carries.
Also for Merrillville, senior defensive back/wide receiver John Peters, a Western Michigan recruit, caught a 36-yard TD pass from junior quarterback Jordan Sanders, and sophomore quarterback Michael Hill had a 1-yard TD run.
“We knew we’d be able to run the ball,” Seiss said. “Valpo’s struggled defensively a lot this year. It starts with our guys up front. We did a good job. We hit a big one with John in the passing game, too, which makes you have to respect that and creates running lanes. I’m just proud of everybody for the way they stepped up.”
That includes Nixon, who has made a smooth transition from linebacker to defensive end.
“It’s a new position for him,” Seiss said. “He was recruited for his length and everything he brings to the table from a physical attributes standpoint.
“It’s not like when you change positions you automatically just know what you’re doing and are natural. He just keeps getting better every week, and he works really hard.”
Nixon took the move in stride.
“It was more of a size, numbers thing,” he said. “It was what was best for the defense. We have really good linebackers this year.
“Me at D-end, I like it. I’m actually enjoying it.”
Johnson joked he doesn’t go up against Nixon as much during practices after the position switch.
“The only advantage he has on me is he’s long and I’m short,” Johnson said.
“With Trent, leadership, captain. I talk to him outside of school too. He’s a really nice guy and a good teammate too.”
Nixon said he had a half-dozen offers before Northern Illinois entered the picture. He announced his commitment in April.
“NIU came out of nowhere,” he said. “Sometimes when you go to a place, you like it. You see all the trophies, you see the jerseys, the helmets. You like the pictures. But when I went there, it wasn’t about the jerseys and the helmets. I felt loved. I felt welcomed by the coaches.”
Senior running back Thomas Burda ran for 110 yards for Valparaiso. Junior quarterback Kellan Hosek threw for 112 yards, including a 27-yard TD pass to senior tight end Keegan Begley, and ran for a 2-yard TD.
But the regional again belongs to Merrillville, which played the Vikings for the third straight season at this level.
“We try our best to bring as many trophies as we can back to Merrillville. … We’re trying to get over that hump next week,” Johnson said.
Indeed, the Pirates have yet to win a semistate title during this string of success. They’ll travel to Warsaw (9-3), where Seiss starred before playing at Ball State.
“I want them to win every game but this one,” Seiss said. “My dad taught there for 40-plus years.
“It’s awesome to play in extremely important games, whether that’s the regular season or playoffs. You’re truly judged by what you do in the postseason, and we’ve been lucky that we’ve gone pretty far. Obviously we’ve been knocking at the door, and obviously we want to bust through at some point. We get another shot at it next Friday.”
For now, Nixon is savoring the latest regional title.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” he said. “We worked so hard for this.”