LAKEVILLE - There were many story lines ahead as Class 1A #11 Triton visited 2A #9 LaVille at Lancer Field. Pre-game hype suggested Triton and LaVille would be in a dogfight. With this being the final season for these two Hoosier North Athletic Conference combatants, both teams have been in the early-season conversation to win the league. Then there was also a pair of first-year head coaches calling the shots on the sidelines - Zach Whittaker pacing for the Trojans and Jeff Kaiser roaming about as the Lancer boss. This game also has its share of quality players ready to make big plays. All of the hype played out, as the Lancers used a 58-yard touchdown run by junior running back Cody Allen and a late safety to pick up the 22-16 HNAC victory in high school football. "Cody's run was a back breaker for Triton and gave us an edge not only on the scoreboard but mentally, said Kaiser. "This was an extremely physical game in which whatever team was able to find the extra gear was going to earn this victory. Glad we found it when needed!" Both teams like to utilize the running game, which was evident throughout the HNAC encounter. Whitaker's squad put together scoring drives a bit more methodical to reach the end zone. Kaiser's club, meanwhile, reached paydirt a bit quicker. Triton quarterback Cole Shively guided his offense through an eight play drive,with Wayne Reichert picking up a pair of first downs to push the ball toward midfield. Reichert accounted for 29 yards during the drive, but a false start penalty and then an inadvertent snap over Shively's head pushed the ball back to the Triton 20 and into a punting situation. LaVille got a fine 32-yard punt return by Cody Allen to put them near the red zone. Allen finished a quick three-play drive by romping 10 yards to the end zone. He was able to break free following a pair of blocks from Erik Bedock and Michael Good. Lucas Plummer came on to add the point-after for a quick 7-0 LHS lead. On its second series, Shively and the Trojan offense went right back to work. This time a 15-play drive that involved five different THS players making contributions. Jayden Overmyer finished up the final five yards, zipping to the end zone for a TD. Shively added the PAT and we were tied at 7-7 early in the second quarter. Both teams forced and took advantage of a turnover on the next drive. First, Allen picked off Shively deep in LaVille territory. Then, almost as quickly, Overmyer scooped up a fumble to give the ball back to the Trojans. After a five-play drive, Overmyer crossed the goal line from five yards out. The PAT failed, but the visitors held a 13-7 lead with 2:36 left before halftime. Not to be outdone, Plummer and the Lancer offensive unit went into its two-minute drill. Facing a 3rd-and-1 from the Triton 42, Plummer tossed the ball up for tight end Michael Good to complete a 27-yard pass, setting up the ball inside the red zone. Two plays later, Allen took the ball up the middle for the final seven yards and his second TD of the game. The kick failed and the teams headed into the locker room tied at 13-all. Then in what looked like LaVille was going for a 4th-and-2, Plummer was able to draw Triton offside and a fresh new set of downs. On the very next play, Allen was able to get free. The junior running back started straight up the middle, got his way into the secondary and then pulled away down the left side of the field to the pylon and a 58-yard TD. Plummer added the kick to put LHS up 20-13. Whittaker's squad was able to move the ball down the field, with Shively converting a 40-yard field goal following a 15-play drive to narrow the gap to 20-16 with 2:14 left in the third quarter. Each team had the ball three more times each in the fourth quarter, with a safety being the lone points scored to increase LaVille's lead to 22-16. The Trojans had the ball with 1:06 left in the game, but the LaVille defense pressured Shively into three incomplete passes and an intentional grounding penalty to close the game. In the end the Lancer defense helped seal the conference victory and stay at the top of the loop standings. "Felt the defense did a tremendous job overall containing their running game," explained Kaiser. "But we must stop the ball carriers on first contact and not allow extra yards once we do recognize the ball carrier. That is something we have to shore up quickly!" Reichert led the Trojan rushing attack with 86 yards on 19 carries, Prater finished with 60 yards on 12, and Overmyer had two carries for two touchdowns. Allen paced the Lancer offense with 140 yards on 23 carries and three TDs. Allen was injured late in the game and received medical care, but walked off the field under his own power. "Its no secret that Cody Allen is a player!" said Kaiser. "He comes to practice everyday willing to grind, and wanting to make his team better. Not only is he racking up great stats to this point on the Offensive side of the ball but he is also a great DB for us on the Defensive side of the ball. His hard work daily in the off season is paying off for him." Triton moves to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in HNAC play. The Trojans will play host to Caston on September 1. LaVille improves to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in loop action. The Lancers will play host to Pioneer, also on September 1. LAVILLE 22, TRITON 16 At Lancer Field, Lakeville Score By Quarters Triton 0 13 3 0 - 16 LaVille 7 6 7 2 - 22 Scoring Summary LV - Cody Allen 10 run; Lucas Plummer kick T - Jayden Overmyer 4 run; Cole Shively kick T - Overmyer 5 run; kick failed LV - Allen 7 run; kick failed LV - Allen 58 run; Plummer kick T - Shively 40 FG LV - Safety, ball snapped out of end zone T LV First Downs. 13 8 Yards Rushing 159 161 Comp-Att-Int. 3-11-1 3-5-1 Passing Yards 20 58 Pen-Yards 5-50 4-26 Punts-Avg 2-46 1-31 HOOSIER NORTH ATHLETIC CONFERENCE Football Standings (Through Aug. 25) North Judson 2 - 0 Knox 1 - 0 LaVille 1 - 0 Pioneer 1 - 0 Triton 0 - 1 Caston 0 - 1 Culver 0 - 1 Winamac 0 - 2 UPCOMING GAMES Caston at Triton, 7 p.m. Knox at Culver, 7:30 p.m. North Judson at Culver Academy, 7:30 p.m. Pioneer at LaVille, 7:30 p.m. Winamac at North White, 7 p.m.