By Staff
Ninth grade Vikings lose first game since 2001 season;
Niles JV ties with Lakeshore
The Niles freshmen football team's 16-game winning streak came to an end Thursday night in a 17-16 loss at Lakeshore.
Lakeshore built a 14-0 lead by the middle of the second quarter but the Vikings did not give up. Late in the second quarter Jake Messner connected with Tim Hardy for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Messner then threw a two-point conversion pass to Keith Bouwkamp to chop the lead to 14-8.
With one second left on the clock before halftime the Lancers managed to kick a field goal to stretch the lead to 17-8.
Early in the fourth quarter Niles scored on a 20-yard carry by Isaiah Glaze. Glaze then carried in the two-point conversion to bring the Vikings within one point of the Lancers.
Niles had a chance to score late in the quarter but fumbled the ball away and Lakeshore was able to run the time off the clock.
The Niles freshmen are now 4-1 on the year.
The Niles junior varsity football team trailed 20-6 with three minutes remaining in Thursday's game at Lakeshore but fought back for a 20-20 tie.
The Niles JV, which is now 2-2-1 overall, was led on offense by Nate Orr, Nick Etzcorn and Eric Parks. Defensively, the Vikings were paced by Ryan McCormick, Rick Storm and Andrew Welch.
The Niles JV and freshmen teams host Benton Harbor next week.