ROYAL CENTER - After defeating two state-rated Class 1A teams and claiming the Sectional #41 title, LaVille coach Jeff Kaiser and his club knew they would have their hands full. You see, #3 ranked Pioneer is known to execute their Wing T offense very effectively and poses subsequent challenges in defending that offensive scheme. And while LaVille battled to the triple zeros on the game clock in the fourth quarter, the Panthers used its ball-controlled running game to sideline the LaVille state tournament run in picking up a 34-14 regional championship victory.   LaVille coach Jeff Kaiser watched his club go down 21-0 at halftime before scoring on its first two drives of the third quarter to close the Pioneer lead to 28-14. But, the Panthers were able to avoid any further LaVille scoring to win their ninth regional crown. "Yeah a tough loss for sure...," said Kaiser when asked about the setback and what the difference was in the game.  "The difference was in the trench, they were able to change up some blocking schemes based on what we were trying to do which resulted in them getting solid yards each carry." Pioneer finished with five drives of 10 or more plays, including a 13-play drive to open the game that ended in the Panthers first touchdown. LaVille made a strong run of its own in its first drive, but were held on downs at the Pioneer 8-yard line.  PHS turned that defensive stand into a 11-play 92 yard drive, once again all on the ground to increase their advantage to 14-0. As the first quarter ended and second period moved forward, the Blue Crew defense was challenged by the misdirection side of the Wing T approach by the Panthers. "The Wing T offense is a unique one and takes many years to install it properly," explained Kaiser.  "Pioneer has run this offense forever and so they have many wrinkles in it based on what a defense is trying to do.  Whether it be blocking schemes or misdirection etc, etc.  Trying to scheme it for our scout guys is tough but I felt preparations for it went well, they just executed it almost perfectly." As halftime turned into the third quarter, Kaiser's crew started with the ball, but trailed 21-0. The Lancers put together a nice drive as the LHS passing game started to heat up. LaVille QB Brayden Schwitz hit 3 of 6 pass attempts, highlighted by a 41-yard bomb to Cole Stafford to get the Lakeville guests on the scoreboard and lift the sidelines and change the momentum. Pioneer, however, in its own patient way, ran a nine-play drive culminating in a 1-yard plunge by Noah Vanmeter to bump its lead. Kaiser's crew, however, went to the air and pushed right back as Schwitz went 3 of 4 for 70 yards and connected with Stafford, who became his favorite target of the night, for a 40-yard TD strike. Stafford finished with six catches for 104 yards and two TD receptions. "The guys were challenged at halftime to keep fighting and in order to get back into the game we needed to get some scores," Kaiser noted of his halftime chat.  "As a result some seniors did what they have done all season and made some nice plays to ensure we had a chance." LHS took advantage of some rhythm opportunities in the second half. They used a no-huddle pace to keep things moving against Pioneer to not allow the Panthers to sub in and keep the pace going. It was a move that benefitted Kaiser's crew several times. "Anytime you can control the pace of the game, it causes fits for the other team," said Kaiser.  "Either they can't sub in or we get them on their heels, causing them to wear out a bit.  It's a package we like to run at any point in the game to change the pace a bit." After scoring to trim the deficit to a two-score game, the Lancers had a chance to cut into the deficit to begin the fourth quarter. Facing a 4th and 3 yards near midfield, LaVille took a chance to keep the drive going. With Schwitz in shotgun formation, he took the snap, rolled a couple steps to his right, saw the Pioneer rush and stepped aside. While stepping aside, Schwitz used his hand to direct his receiver to keep running his route toward the end zone.  The LaVille QB tossed the pass that appeared to be on target.   Could this be the chance Lancer Nation was looking for to help set up a dramatic finish? Not so long ago LaVille sat with a record of 2-4 overall and at a crossroads in the season. But a Saturday morning chat with coach Kaiser may have shaken the competitive juices of this LaVille football team. Friday's battle with Pioneer was just another example of Kaiser's club not giving up. LHS was looking for magic in a bottle doubt. There was certainly one more run from a team that had won six straight games and completed a sectional run that had to go through two top 10 1A teams to this point of the season to win its second sectional in three seasons. Schwitz's pass looked like magic in the bottle.  The ball hit the right hand first, bounced toward the receivers hands when the left hand tried to secure the ball for a potential touchdown that could have narrowed the gap to a one-score game, the receiver took a couple of steps and the pass fell incomplete. The Lancers had just missed on a 54 yard TD toss and the Panthers answered with one last score for the final margin. "The guys responded very well when the chips were down and people were doubting us," said Kaiser after the game.  "We as a staff challenged the guys with trusting the process and if they would, the bigger picture is the postseason.  We couldn't have asked for a better response to the challenge which made this a very successful season and captured our 2nd sectional championship in 3 years." Schwitz finished 12-for-26 passing for 167 yards. Kaid Hernandez also had a fumble recovery for LV, which finished 8-5 after being just 2-4 midway through the season. As the game clock ticked down to the final 0:00, Kaiser and his team knew that as week six turned into week seven, they made the right turn to the season and turned disappointment into a positive ending. "This group of seniors showed great character on and off the field," Kaiser said when asked about the 10 senior football players.  "When adversity was staring them in the eye, they responded in a very positive way and found success.  The dedication and sacrifices they have made over the last 4 seasons will never go unnoticed.  Once you have been through our football program, we feel it has set you up to be successful much beyond the game.  We as a staff cannot thank them enough for leaving their mark in LaVille Football." After a 6-6 mark last season, LaVille closed out 2025 with an 8-5 record. Class 1A IHSAA Regional At Royal Center Pioneer 34, LaVille 14 Score By Quarters LaVille 0   0 14  0 - 14 Pioneer 7 14   7  6 - 34 Scoring Summary P - Phillip McFatridge 4 run (McFatridge kick) P - Shiloh Rine 9 run (McFatridge kick) P - Rine 9 run (McFatridge kick) LV - Cole Stafford 41 pass from Brayden Schwitz (Caleb Skiles kick) P - Noah Vanmeter 1 run (McFatridge kick) LV - Stafford 40 pass from Schwitz (Skiles kick) P - Vanmeter 1 run (kick failed) Team Stats            LHS          PHS First downs             10             26 Yards rushing        69           463 Comp-Att-Int   12-26-0      0-0-0 Yards passing       167             0 Punts-Avg            2-51          0-0 Fumbles                  0               2 Penalties             4-35          1-15