LAGRANGE - The football sailed off the Lakeland field goal kicker's foot, veering wide right early in its ugly, wobbly flight.

For a small moment in time - a second, perhaps - it looked like all of Tippecanoe Valley's effort and hard work had paid off when it counted most. The Vikings had pulled out all the stops, playing the No. 5 and undefeated Lakers tough the entire game. The result: Valley led by one with less than a half a minute to play.

Then the football improbably hooked left and sliced its way through the uprights with 29 seconds left to play, sending the hard-luck Vikings back to Mentone with a heartbreaking 10-8 loss.

The ingredients to victory were there for Tippecanoe Valley: outstanding defensive efforts, a solid offensive scheme, a couple trick plays, and two huge turnovers by host Lakeland. The Vikings gave the Lakers their biggest test of the season - unfortunately for Valley, Lakeland passed.

Tippecanoe Valley head coach Scott Bibler, in his seventh year at the helm of the Vikings, was pleased with his squad's effort following the first-round sectional loss.

"I appreciated the kids working hard," Bibler said. "I was disappointed that we didn't get the win, of course - we just came up a little short. The kids fought hard and played hard; As a coach, you can't ask for anything more that."

The loss to the No. 5 Lakers marked the seventh time in the past eight sectional games Tippecanoe Valley has played a top-6 ranked opponent, and the past five have been road games. Ironically, the only team Valley has played since 1992 that hasn't been ranked was last year in the first round, at home against - Lakeland.

The Vikings knew going into the game what they had to stop in Lakeland - the state's No. 1 rusher, Scott Harshberger. Entering the game, Harshberger had 2,012 yards on his own - Tippecanoe Valley had 2,022 as an entire team. Harshberger, in eight regular season games, scored 160 points; the Valley squad as a whole posted five less, 155.

The Vikings, after a dismal defensive stand on Lakeland's opening drive, made Harshberger earn nearly run from that point on. And although he finished with 179 yards (70 below his average), it took him 44 carries to get to that total.

The Vikings held the probable NCAA Division I recruit to less than half his average run per carry, and forced Harshberger to cough up what almost ended up being a season-ending fumble on the 1-yard line with under six minutes to play.

Lakeland dominated early in the first quarter, marching 56 yards in nine plays to go up 7-0 with 5:58 left in the first frame. Harshberger carried the ball eight of those nine times in the drive, and scored the 1-yard touchdown.

Tippecanoe Valley came right back, beginning with a beautiful Nick Stutzman kickoff return to the Lakeland 34. Senior TV quarterback Eric Backus hooked up with an open Josh Brady for a 10-yard completion and later with Daron Norris for a 13-yard gain, setting up Stutzman's 2-yard touchdown burst with 1:06 to play in the first.

The Vikings have had their share of PAT kicking problems this season, so Valley didn't take the risk the chance of a missed kick. It looked as if the kick had been blocked, but Parker had dished the ball to Brady as the play unfolded. By the time Lakeland figured the ruse out, Brady had swept left unscathed into the endzone and Valley led 8-7.

Defense was the key throughout the second and third quarters, as both Lakeland and TV had legitimate shots at putting more points on the board. Valley's Parker nabbed Shane Fry's errant pass in the endzone as Lakeland was driving late in the first half. In the third quarter, it was Lakeland snubbing TV on 4th-and-2 just 23 yards from paydirt.

After forcing the Harshberger fumble late in the fourth, the Vikings faced another 4th-and-2 from their own 9-yard line with less five minutes to play. Valley faked the punt, buying more time, but on the next third down - a critical 3rd-and-7 - Valley was thrown for a 10-yard loss and had to punt.

Lakeland took over with 2:54 left to play, drove 14 yards on the strength of five Harshberger runs, and called a timeout on fourth down and two with 34 seconds to play.

Fry's field goal found its way through the goalposts from 27 yards out, and it was the end of the season for Tippecanoe Valley.

Lakeland, now 9-0, faces Northridge Friday.

Tippecanoe Valley ended the 1996 campaign at 5-4. [[In-content Ad]]