Vikings lose another heartbreaker
Story and Photos by Mike Maddock

The Spring Valley Vikings made an improbable comeback to force overtime against the visiting Ridge View Blazers, but a penalty and a missed extra- point cost them a chance at their first victory of the season and kept the Blazers in the hunt for the Region V- 4A title. The Blazers survived a Kansas Shootout overtime format to defeat the Vikings 28- 27 at Harry Parone Stadium October 19.

The Vikings jumped out to 10- 0 lead to start the second quarter after Rowshand Branch's nine- yard touchdown run, and Kevin Knapp's earlier field goal. The Blazers would fight back with an 11- play, 63- yard drive that took 5:20 off the clock. Much of the yardage came on a 23- yard pass play from Cheston Hickman to Brock Dempsey that got the ball to the Spring Valley 27- yard line. Terrance Greene eventually scored on a fourth- and- goal run from the one- yard line.

The Vikings answered with a 35- yard drive to the Ridge View 20- yard line, but were forced to settle for another Knapp field goal to make the score 13- 7 with 2:14 remaining in the first half.

Ridge View started the second half with a 10- play, 71- yard drive powered mostly by the arm of Hickman and the legs of running back Bucky Kennedy. Kennedy ran four times for 19 yards and caught a pass for 11 yards. Hickman completed passes to Greg Adams and Naquan Fleming, which included a 17- yard strike to Fleming to help give the Blazers their first lead of the game with 8:43 remaining in the third quarter.

Ridge View's Terrance Greene rushes for a touchdown. Greene rushed four times for 10 yards and two touchdowns.

The Blazers extended their lead at the 1:39 mark of the third quarter after David Davis intercepted another Harding pass. Greene got his second touchdown of the night on a five- yard run to put Ridge View up 21- 13.

The Vikings then found themselves on their own 38- yard line with 2:58 remaining in regulation. On the first play of the drive, Branch blasted up the middle of the Blazer defense for 46 yards to the Ridge View 16 yard line. He followed that up with 11 more yards to give the Vikings a first and goal at the Ridge View five- yard line. A penalty and a couple of unsuccessful runs backed the Vikings up to the 12- yard line with 1:09 remaining. That's when Harding threw a pass to the left corner of the end zone and Jordan Giles leapt over the Blazer defense for an acrobatic catch to draw the Vikings within two.

Spring Valley's Rowshand Branch scores the touchdown leading to the tie at the end of regulation. He rushed 22 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns.

On the two- point conversion attempt, Harding faked right then threw a soft pass to a wide open Robert Hayslip back left to tie the game at 21- 21. That's how the score would stay at the end of regulation.

The overtime was played in the Kansas Shootout format. Each team received the ball at the 10 and got four attempts to score.

The Blazers went first scoring on a touchdown pass from Hickman to Adams on a third- and- goal play from the seven. The point- after attempt gave Ridge View a 28- 21 lead. The Vikings countered with two quick runs from Branch. He scored on the second from seven yards out. The Blazers called time- out before the assumed extra- point attempt. The Vikings followed that with a time- out of their own and came out of the break giving the appearance they were going for two to end the game, but they were flagged for a substitution infraction. The extra five yards forced them to go for one, but Knapp's kick sailed right and the Blazers escaped with a one- point win. It was Knapp's first extra- point miss of the year.

Spring Valley' QB Rob Harding completed 12 of 18 passes for 82 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Ridge View QB Cheston Hickman was 9- for- 18 for 101 yards and two touchdowns.