LAKEVILLE - As the final 0:00 hit the clock, it didn't take long for the LaVille football team to realize what just happened. In this much anticipated rematch between Andrean and Class 2A #5 LaVille, it was the Lancers that prevailed in a 25-23 in high school football at Lancer Field. "Our guys were focused and locked in from the start and that began on Monday at practice," said LaVille coach Jeff Kaiser. "Through the entire week and carried over to the game field." The Lancers were coming off a Class 2A sectional championship in 2021 and traveled to Merrillville for a regional championship against the 59ers. Andrean simply outplayed LaVille in a 35-8 victory en route to the 2021 2A state title. Following realignment, the same two teams met in the sectional semifinal in Lakeville to start the 2022 state tournament. Andrean used a late fourth quarter rally to turn a two-point lead into a 28-6 victory as AHS made its first visit to Lancer Field and eventually became the 2A state runner-up. As the 2023 Indiana High School Athletic Association state tournament draw was released back on October 8, LaVille got exactly what it was hoping for - another opportunity to play Andrean. "We wanted Andrean in the first round," confirmed LaVille head coach Jeff Kaiser. The game had long drives, big plays, tough, hard-hitting defense, turnovers, and special teams play - but the final 1:37 of the contest was filled with drama and several conversations between officials and coaches. After LaVille's Braedyn Foster pounced on an Andrean fumble, the Lancers went on a 16-play drive that ended up with a 29-yard field goal from Lucas Plummer. "Special teams are the 3rd phase of the game that you have to emphasize SPECIAL each time we practice them," Kaiser said when asked if it may have been the difference. "We spend time each day at practice working on different units to ensure we can execute at a high level on Friday nights. This past Friday held true to the importance of them . . . made a crucial FG early on a wet field . . . and our opponent had trouble snapping the ball on punts which gave us great field position to get a score." In the second quarter, LaVille used a fumble recovery by Jonathan Neese to put more points on the board. "Defensively we played what I felt was our best game so far!" said Kaiser, referring to a defense that caused two fumbles, an interception and held Andrean to 149 total yards. "We mixed personal and schemes up a bit, which gave Andrean trouble and our guys played it fast and disciplined . . . that must continue each and every week for us to continue our season." Two incomplete passes and a tackle for loss set the Lakeville hosts up for a 4th-and-12 from the Andrean 27. Kaiser and his staff rolled the dice and decided to go. On the play, Plummer was looking to the end zone on the right side. Instead, he was forced to tuck the ball and run. The 6'2" senior sprinted to the left, then outran the defense along the sideline to the end zone. On the 2-point attempt, Plummer found Collin Czarnecki crossing to the right side of the end zone for the conversion and a 11-0 Lancer lead. "That 4th down run Lucas made was just him doing what a senior leader that is determined to do whatever it takes to win making things happen," Kaiser said when asked if the play was designed or Plummer improvising. "His ability to run with the speed he has, while also being a pass threat is very hard to defend each and every play." The 59ers got on the board on its next possession. Andrean quarterback Scott Ballentine hustled the final 16 yards to cap off a 9-play, 52 yard drive. AHS used some razzle-dazzle when Ballentine gave the ball off to JJ Bolz and Bolz hit an open Ballentine for the 2-point conversion and cut the LaVille lead to 11-8. As the game neared the midway point of the third quarter, Andrean faced a punting situation and a bad snap gave the Lancers the ball at the 59er 15-yard line. Cody Allen got the call for LHS, and with the help of the right side of the offensive line, hit paydirt from one yard out for the TD. Plummer then found Good for the 2-pointer to make it 19-8. Special teams made a big appearance for Andrean on LaVille's kick. Jimmy Finley broke free for a 70-yard return to the Lancer 20. The LHS defense stiffened, forcing a 4th-and-4, but Ballentine found Logan Urbaniak for the 14-yard touchdown pass. The 2-point attempt was good and LaVille led 19-16. Andrean opted for an onside kick to try and get the ball back, but Eli Platz jumped on the ball at midfield to give LaVille good field position. Kaiser's club proceeded to utilize fine blocking to open holes for the Lancer running game. Allen was the workhorse gaining 37 yards on 11 carries, including the final yard over the goal line to increase the lead to 25-16. The 2-point conversion pass was incomplete. Andrean once again used the kick return team to get into Lancer territory. A 57-yard kick return put the 59ers at the LaVille 23. The LaVille defense once again stiffened and forced the 59ers into a 4th-and-long. Ballentine found Urbaniak for a 10-yard completion and a 1st-and-goal at the 10. On the next play, the Ballentine-Urbankiak combo was good for a touchdown strike. Balletine added the point-after and the LaVille lead was 25-13 with 1:37 left. That's when things started to get interesting. Andrean had just one timeout left, so one would think the victory formation would end the game. Plummer took the 1st down snap and took a knee. As the teams lined up for second down, a whistle rang out and a replay was ultimately called. When play resumed, a delay of game penalty was called on LaVille. On the second attempt for 3rd down, Plummer once again took a knee. This was where the clock questions became a point of conversations for the officials and coaches. During the next several minutes, four different times were put on the scoreboard clock - 0:40, 0:10, 0:01, then 0:42. After talking with both coaches, the officials decided to go with the 0:42 on the game clock and 0:40 on the play clock. LaVille let the time run down on the game and play clock before calling a timeout with 0:03 seconds remaining. Plummer then took the snap and ran around as the final seconds ticked away for a Lancer victory. "The last 1:30 was a complete mess and blur," said Kaiser of the final sequence. ". . . to be honest I still am not sure what was going on. At the end of it, our players kept composed and got the job done." Allen led the LaVille running game with 144 yards on 36 carries and two touchdowns. "Cody and Lucas are playmakers and can make a true difference on any given play," said Kaisser. ". . . they will be the first to tell you though that their success comes from the guys upfront and to say we dominated them in the trench is the reason for us getting the win and moving on. We must continue playing smash mouth football!" LaVille improves to 9-1 overall and will travel to Whiting for an 8 p.m. kick on October 27 in the sectional semifinal. "This win was great for our entire program and community," concluded Kaiser. "Anytime you can beat a team with a great amount of post season success year in and year out, shows what dedication and hard work consistently can do for you! When you make sacrifices to Want More . . . Do More . . . Get More . . . good things tend to happen." "BIG game on the road (Friday) . . . pack your blankets and make plans this Friday night to be over at Whiting and let's show them not only what LaVille football is about but also that we travel well! Looking forward to seeing and hearing Lancer Nation LOUD & PROUD, as we work towards another win . . . GO BLUE!" * * * * * LAVILLE 25, ANDREAN 23 At Lancer Field, Lakeville Score By Quarters Andrean 0 8 0 15 - 23 LaVille 3 8 86 - 25 Scoring Summary LV - Lucas Plummer 29 FG LV - Plummer 27 run; Collin Czarnecki pass from Plummer A - Scott Ballentine 16 run; Ballentine pass from JJ Bolz LV - Cody Allen 1 run; Michael Good pass from Plummer A - Logan Urnaniak 14 pass from Ballentine; Cole Jenkins pass from Ballentine LV - Allen 1 run; pass failed A - Urbaniak 10 pass from Ballentine; Ballentine kick A LV First Downs 8 15 Yards Rushing 53 204 Comp-Att-Int 11-21-1 1-5-1 Yards Passing 96 8 Punts-Avg 1-30 1-28 Fumbles Lost 2 0 Penalties-Yards 6-42 5-35