Someone was going to be leave Hovey Field Friday night with their first region final loss but the question was who? Who would be facing Lafayette in the state semifinals a week from Saturday? Who would keep their pursuit of a state title alive and well? On a bitter breezy night we got our answer and it was not the Central Region's own Thomas Jefferson Vikings but rather the Kettle Run Cougars who reach the Class 3 State Semifinals two years after a trip in Class 4.

TJ did not make it easy on the Cougars and fought to the bitter end and nearly pulled it off. The Vikings who all season long were among the top three in the Central Region in both defense and offense despite trailing much of the game was never really out of this one. TJ scored first, the two were tied at the end of the first quarter but by the half the Vikings were down 4.

It was in the third quarter that things felt like they might get out of reach of the Vikings. The Cougars enjoyed an 11-point lead with TJ shutout in that third quarter but the fourth quarter was another story, a reversal of the third with the Vikings doing the scoring and the Cougars the ones kept out of the end zone.

In one of the wildest and heartbreaking endings to a game I've witnessed this season, the Vikings were positioned to take a lead and likely hold on for a win with 11 seconds to go but at the 1-yard line Vikings QB Rashaud Cherry was intercepted by Colton Lubbe at the 1! You would think game over right? Wrong!

The Cougars were playing from the Vikings end zone and in an effort to just throw the ball away Jacob Mulhern put the ball up only to see it intercepted by the Vikings. With 4 seconds to go the Vikings instinct was to attempt to run it back to end zone for the game-winning touchdown but despite some trickery they would not come close. Instinct was to run it back but truth be told, had their been a knee taken... maybe just maybe the Vikings have a shot at the end zone.

Sports is filled with 'what if's' and this is surely one locally. Not the storybook ending the Vikings had hoped for but with one dream crushed, another dream lives on.

Kettle Run spread the ball around with ease at times against a defense that had given up a total of 53 points through 12 games. JT Taylor, Colton Quaker and Haydynn Bell accounted for 226 yards of offense and 3 touchdowns. Of course Jacob Mulhern cannot be forgotten at the QB spot with 156 yards & 2 passing touchdowns. The offense was the strength of the Cougars on this night and although the defense was not as strong, Colton Lubbe's INT on the 1 with 11 seconds to go could not be a bigger moment for the defense.

It was a game you hate for anyone to lose but that's football, there has to be a winner, there has to be a loser.

The first quarter could not have started and ended any differently.

The Cougars went 4 & out with 9 yards but Zyan Hill would not let them convert on fourth down. All TJ would do is take advantage of good field position and score in 7 plays with Rashaud Cherry scoring the first Vikings TD of the night.

Everything going to TJ's way right? Wrong.

Kettle Run would move the ball 63 yards in less than 5 minutes with Haydynn Bell carrying much of the load but JT Taylor the one to punch it in for the Cougars first score of the night. The defense stepped up and forced a 3 & out for TJ as the fortunes of the 1st quarter flipped.

You would be hard pressed to find any defense in the second quarter although there were moments. Moments such as an interception of Rashaud Cherry on a Vikings drive but Cherry would knock the ball out of the hands of the defender to keep it from standing. Or what about the Vikings blocked field goal attempt? There was also a pass breakup by Amare Gough and a safety against the Cougars. Okay... so maybe there was a little defense but with 5 TD's in 1 quarter of play, emphasis was certainly on offense.

The Cougars scored 3 touchdowns, the Vikings scored 2 TD's.

Cougars first touchdown of the quarter came on an 8-play, 51 yard drive that started in the first quarter and culminated with a Jacob Mulhern 5-yard pass to Bray Jenkins.

In between the first two Cougar TD's of the second quarter was a blocked field goal courtesy of the Cougars defense. The Vikings defense forced only their second 3 & out followed by a safety and a TJ touchdown.

Down 17-14, Kettle Run 2 minutes after TJ took the lead came right back with a 7-play, 73 yard drive that Jacob Mulhern and Carter Bernatzky put the finishing move on with a 28-yard hookup.

Then with a little over a minute to go the Cougars put together another 7-play drive but this one stretched 61 yards and saw Colton Quaker tag the end zone from 13 yards out. Colton was the 4th Cougar to set foot in the end zone on this night

After the Vikings 38-yard field goal was blocked, they would not attempt another field goal the entire game. What they would do, however, is score a safety and two TD's to keep it close going into the half.

After the Vikings defense held Kettle Run to a 3 & out they blocked the punt and got the safety. A big time return from Malik Porter would give the Vikings great field position to setup a Rashaud Cherry 3-yard touchdown run.

The second Vikings touchdown would be sandwiched by Cougar touchdowns as the arms race between offenses continued. It took TJ just one play to find the end zone for a third time when Rashaud Cherry let it fly for 74 yards to Amare Gough.

The third quarter was one that the Vikings would like to forget if you were to give them a bit of truth serum.

It began with a 4-play 35-yard drive that showed promise early but was detoured by two penalties including a false start call. The ensuing punt was blocked by the Cougars although they would not be able to do much with it themselves. The Cougars faced a 4th & 14 when Ranaud Cherry broke up a Jacob Mulhern pass.

When the Vikings got the ball back... Kettle Run's defense shut them down not allowing a first down. The Cougars in turn put together a 7-play, 58 yard drive that was capped by a JT Taylor 26-yard run for the only score of the third quarter.

The Vikings suddenly were down 11 and the frustration among the team was beginning to show while the coaching staff worked to keep them focus... to quote Will Ferrell from Old School, 'we gotta keep our composure" but it would be tough considering the next series.

On the Vikings last possession of the third quarter, Rashaud Cherry was intercepted on 2nd & 7 by Dycen Tapscott.

The fourth quarter was the complete opposite of the third for the Vikings... for most of it anyway.

It began with Kettle Run getting to the TJ but a touchdown run was called back presenting a 2nd & goal at the TJ 16. Jacob Mulhern with a rare mistake with a fumble costing them more yards. Two incomplete passes and a delay of game later the Cougars would come away with just 41 yards and nothing else to show for.

That paved the way for TJ to put together a 5-play, 68-yard drive that was dominated by three Rashaud Cherry passes and 2 Cherry runs, one of which was for 9 yards and an all important score for the Vikings.

Kettle Run saw TJ nipping at their toes up by only 3 points and knew they could not let this one slip away but it nearly did. The Cougars came away with just 9 yards despite a first down as a false start call stalled the drive as did the defense of TJ with Dashawn Hayden & Zyan Hill breaking up passes on 2nd & 3rd down.

TJ would get the ball back, they would convert on 4th & 2 with Rashaud Cherry steering the drive. The Vikings would benefit from a pass interference, they would convert on 3rd & 7 due to a pass interference call but that would be as close as they would get.

Two plays later Cherry would take his shot and Colton Lubbe would intercept at the 1 thwarting a winning touchdown.

It's not over until it is over and with seconds left on the clock the Cougars were pinned back at their own 1 with Jacob Mulhern throwing from his own end zone. Attempting to just chuck it down the field to run out the clock, he instead finds a TJ defender who attempts to return it to the end zone but the attempt fails despite some trickery and the Kettle Run can breathe and the Vikings taste defeat for the first time all season as the worst time.

Thomas Jefferson Vikings

Look no further than Rashaud Cherry for the Vikings who rushed for 3 TD's and threw for another amassing over 100 yards of offense between the pass and run. Don't overlook his contributions on defense with a dozen tackles against the Cougars.

Throw another name at you for the Vikings and that is Zyan Hill who had half a dozen tackles and a pass break up.

Kettle Run Cougars

Jacob Mulhern threw for 156 yards completing 14 of 23 and 2 touchdowns on this night orchestrating the offense.

JT Taylor didn't do too bad against a Vikings defense that was among the best in the state with 64 yards on 7 carries & 53 yards on 5 catches for a total 117 yards and 2 TD's.

TJ is now 9-10 all-time in the playoffs with this being their first ever region final loss.

Coach Eric Harris now 3-2 in the playoffs as HC of the Vikings.

In 2 seasons Coach Eric Harris is 22-2 with both losses coming in the playoffs.

Despite the loss this was an amazing season for the Vikings finishing with 12 wins for the 1st time ever, the offense scored the most points ever with 560 and the defense only gave up 88 points; the best defensive season for TJ since 1972.

Kettle Run is headed to the state semifinals for a 4th time in program history and 2nd in three years.

Kettle Run improves to 4-0 in region finals.