NORTH JUDSON - The last two years when the LaVille and North Judson football teams met up on the gridiron, overtime was needed to determine a winner. In fact, two of the last three meetings were decided by two points or less. So why would Friday night at Liberty Field be any different this time? After seeing NJ pull off a goal line stand to end the first half, LV returned the favor late in the game with a defensive stand of its own to hold off the Blue Jays, 23-20, in a Hoosier North Athletic Conference thriller. “These kids fight. They don’t give in. We’ve seen that two weeks in a row now,” said LaVille head coach Jeff Kaiser, whose team came in ranked No. 7/4 (AP, Coaches poll) in Class 2A. “You’re not going to find a better small-school football game in Indiana (last night). I promise you that. That’s a tribute to both programs. Man, I’m happy.” LaVille’s Michael Good blocked a punt out of the end zone on the fourth play of the game for a quick 2-0 lead. Then gaining possession at NJ’s 49, the Lancers (7-1, 5-1 HNAC) needed just nine plays to get into the end zone. Cody Allen ran through a huge hole for the last 20 yards and Lucas Plummer’s kick made it 9-0. Two fourth down conversions were key, including a 12-yard pass from Plummer to Good on 4th-and-4. The Blue Jays (4-4, 3-3 HNAC, ranked No. 10/13 in Class 1A) used its potent running game to close the gap back to two after driving 81 yards on 17 plays - 15 runs - bridging the end of the first quarter and into the second. Brock Benson powered in for the last three yards and the PAT made it 9-7. A six-yard quarterback sneak on 4th-and-1 kept the drive alive midway through. After a LV punt, the home team then covered 72 yards on 14 plays - 12 runs - with Benson bowling in from two yards. The two-point conversion failed and NJ led 13-9 with just 1:12 until halftime. Starting at midfield, Good made a spectacular diving catch on a Plummer pass for 34 yards on the first play. After an incompletion, Plummer connected on three straight short tosses and LV had a 1st-and-goal from the NJ 1, but the Blue Jays defense held off three running plays as the clock ran out to carry the lead into the break. At halftime, the Blue Jays were 0-for-5 passing, but already had 156 yards rushing with four backs sharing the load. LaVille had just 47 yards rushing at that point. The third quarter saw three lead changes and ultimately, the last of the scoring. LaVille scored on its opening possession, going 62 yards on 12 plays. The Lancers were aided by 24 penalty yards, with two of the infractions occurring on fourth downs to keep the drive alive. Jonathan Neese punched it in from 1 yard. A bad snap on the PAT turned into a pass from Plummer to Konnor Amor for two points and LV led, 17-13. Judson replied back with a six-play, 62-yard march, highlighted by a 32-yard run by Benson, to get the lead back at 20-17, but LV answered right back. Out of five plays, Plummer had a 12-yard scramble and connected on three passes, the big one a 30-yard scoring strike to Michael Good. The kick was wide, but the Lancers were in the lead again, 23-20. NJ was held on downs to open the final frame, then the Lancers milked most of the fourth quarter with a clock-consuming drive and were at the NJ 9 when Plummer threw an interception in the end zone. With 4:11 remaining and the Senior Night crowd in full throat, the Blue Jays methodically drove down to the LV 19 with under 50 seconds remaining and the clock running. The Lancers’ defense seemed to be running on fumes, but Good sacked NJ quarterback Jesiah McDaniel for a four-yard loss, then on a 4th-and-10 he and Collin Czarnecki stopped McDaniel short of the line to gain. A kneel down later and the Lancer faithful could finally exhale with the win in hand. “They had all of the momentum,” admitted Kaiser. “They wanted the game as much as us. That was a big win for us.” Plummer led LV in rushing with 67 yards - mostly scrambles - on 18 carries. “We knew from the film, that (Plummer) needed to scramble,” Kaiser said. “With their coverages, the seams were there. He’s a dual threat.” Good had eight receptions for 110 yards on the one TD. “He works so hard,” said Kaiser. “He was a lineman last year. He’s one of our captains and sparks our team. He made a couple diving tackles from the back side.” Benson finished with 152 yards on 23 carries as NJ finished with 316 yards on the ground, but zero passing yards. Kole Wilcox had 83 yards on 17 carries. • LAVILLE 23, NORTH JUDSON 20 At North Judson Score by quarters LaVille 9 0 14 0 - 23 North Judson 0 13 7 0 - 20 LV - Safety (punt blocked into end zone) LV - Cody Allen 20 run (Lucas Plummer kick) NJ - Brock Benson 3 run (Connor Benson kick) NJ - Benson 2 run (run failed) LV - Jonathan Neese 1 run (Plummer pass to Konnor Amor) NJ - Trey McGowen 7 run (C. Benson kick) LV - Michael Good 30 pass from Plummer (kick failed) LAVILLE NORTH JUDSON First downs 14 18 Yards rushing 124 316 Yards passing 131 0 Passing 12-22-1 0-5-0 Punts/avg 1-43 0-0 Fumbles lost 0 0 Penalties 3-15 8-42 *By Ron Haramia, Pilot Sports Writer