SOUTH WHITLEY - The last game of the regular season looked a lot like a season-opener for the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings and Whitko Wildcats Friday.
Playing at Whitko, each team fumbled the ball four times, and each lost two of those, while there were a combined 14 penalties called.When it was over, Valley escaped the Three Rivers Conference affair with a 21-20 win thanks to a stop on a Whitko two-point conversion attempt with 23 seconds remaining.
"Our kids played with determination," Valley head coach Jeff Shriver said. "We have a sign at our home field, 'Courage, determination and pride.' I told our kids when I left the huddle down there, that I knew we were going to stop them on that two-point conversion, because of the look of intensity in their eyes."
After drawing within one point on a D.J Fouce. 1-yard run, Whitko went for two rather than attempting the extra point, but Fouce was stopped in the backfield, having the ball stripped in the process.
"I was proud of the guys," Whitko coach Wayne Swender said. "We battled for four quarters, and just came up a little short."
The fact that Whitko even had a shot to win the game in the end was remarkable in itself.
In the second half, Whitko rushed the ball 12 times for 10 yards, while senior quarterback Gabe Starkey completed 3 of 10 passes for 39 yards and threw an interception in the final 24 minutes.
"Our defense looked really good tonight," Shriver said.
Luckily for Whitko, it got its offense going just enough after Valley took the lead at 21-14 on a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore Brody Andrews with 1:56 left to play.
On the ensuing kickoff, Whitko senior Dylan LeTourneau returned the ball from his own 11 to the Valley 44-yard line.
The Wildcats eventually found a way get into the end zone, but the failed conversion put an end to their dreams of a win on Senior Night.
"This one hurts, especially for the seniors," Swender said. "They were playing their hearts out for one of their seniors, Jarrod Lewis."
Lewis was injured in a car accident on Oct. 6, and still remains in critical condition in the hospital. During senior introductions, Lewis' parents Jack and Crystal Funnell were on hand.
"He's struggling with his injuries from the accident," Swender said of Lewis. "So it hurts the seniors a lot tonight."
Things started well for the Wildcats, who drove the ball 70 yards on their first possession, highlighted by a 46-yard run by junior Dakota Harmon to the 2-yard line. From there, Starkey punched the ball in, putting Whitko on top 6-0 after the extra point was blocked.
Valley then responded with a 50-yard drive of its own, but watched it come to a close with a fumble at the Whitko 5-yard line.
"We fumbled twice inside the 5-yard line and we had some penalties," Shriver said of his team's sloppy play at times. "Some of those penalties were questionable, but they were penalties."
Valley was whistled for nine penalties on the night, four of which were for holding.
When things did go well for the Vikings, they were able to run the ball effectively, showcased by a 33-yard touchdown run by senior Michael Lewis with 4:42 remaining in the first quarter. With the Luis Lara extra point, Valley led 7-6.
Lewis finished with a game-high 125 yards, while Andrews had 71 yards and two touchdown runs.
"Our offensive line has been much-maligned this season," Shriver said. "Those guys came out and played a pretty good game of football tonight."
Lewis was the main ball carrier in the first half, but gave way to Andrews, a former Whitko student, in the second.
"Coming into the year, we thought Brody Andrews could be a pretty good tailback," Shriver said. "The last few weeks, you've really seen him ramp it up. He has a lot of friends over here at Whitko, because he's from Whitko before moving over last year. So, it's a big homecoming for him to came back over here and play."
Andrews' first score came on a 1-yard plunge with 8:31 remaining, but was equaled when Whitko junior Scott Skiles found his way to the end zone from 24 yards out on Whitko's ensuing possession, resulting in 14-14 tie at the half.
In the second half, Valley began three of its four possessions in Whitko territory, keeping the Wildcats on their heels.
"Field position was big in the second half, and we couldn't get out of the hole and try to do things differently," Swender said. "That hurts."
Starkey was Whitko's offensive leader, completing 9 of 18 passes for 131 yards, with three of those passes going to sophomore Derek Snep for 49 yards.
