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MENTONE - In a rivalry where the Rochester/Tippecanoe Valley winner takes home the coveted bell, the Vikings were close - seven seconds close.
But a Jason Fincher 31-yard field goal with seven seconds left gave Rochester the 31-28 win.
Even though Rochester ran out to a 28-0 lead, the Vikings knew they were not not beaten.
"You have to give Rochester a lot of credit," Valley coach Scott Bibler said. "They lost their last two games in the last seconds."
Rochester lost to Southwood on a Hail Mary pass in the last second at home two weeks ago. And last Friday night, the Zebras blew a 20-0 lead and lost 23-20 in overtime to Manchester.
So why should it be any different with Tippecanoe Valley? The Vikings rallied to take the lead after the half.
To start the second half, Derek Eby blocked a punt and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. With Nathan Moore's good kick, the Vikings inched closer to the Zebras.
"You've gotta give these boys credit for coming out like they did," Bibler said.
On a quarterback sneak play, Valley quarterback Brandon Eaton plunged into the end zone to start off the fourth quarter. and bring the Vikings within one score.
With the Valley defense holding Rochester on every possession throughout the whole third quarter and most of the fourth, the Vikings were getting a little tired.
After Wes Backus ran one yard to score the final touchdown of the game, it was up to Nathan Moore to take the lead for Valley. But his extra point failed to split the goal posts, so the game was tied.
When the Valley defense held the Zebras once more, it was an unsportsmanlike conduct call that put the Vikings in a hole they couldn't get out of.
"At that point in the game, I was hoping overtime for us," Bibler said.
But with the defense tired, and good field position for Rochester, it was all bound to happen.
With seven seconds left on the clock, the Zebras got within field goal range. Fincher came on and nailed his 31-yard big one to win the game for the Zebras.
Although the Vikings had more total offensive yards than the Zebras, it just did not prove to be enough.
Tippecnoe Valley (3-4, 2-3 TRC) plays at North Miami (3-4, 2-3 TRC) next Friday night.
