Indian Lake got a second chance to battle the mighty Midwest Athletic Conference and took full advantage of it Friday night.
The Lakers, who opened the season with a 37-0 loss to MAC member Anna, earned some redemption with a 19-7 victory over Versailles in the opening round of the Division V, Region 20 playoffs.
The Tigers finished sixth out of 10 teams in the MAC, which is widely considered to be the best small school football division in Ohio.
“The nice part is we got a bunch of guys that are locked in,” said Indian Lake coach Jonn Rapp. “What we’re putting out there, they’re picking up, so then we’re allowed to grow and progress instead of being stuck. It’s making our defense that much better for it.”
Indian Lake improves to 9-2 on the season. The Lakers advance to face Preble Shawnee (10-1) next Friday in the regional quarterfinal round. Preble Shawnee blanked Pleasant 28-0 in its first-round game.
Most of the first half Friday was a scoreless draw before the Lakers drove down and scored with just a couple minutes left in the second period.
In the third and fourth quarters, the Lakers defense had four takeaways, forcing two fumbles and making two interceptions.
The two fumbles led to a pair of scores, while the second interception sealed the win.
Madden Lillard and Bryce Burton had the recoveries, with Burton and Quest Clay picking off Versailles.
Lillard also did his share leading the offense. He completed 13 of 27 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 14 carries for 46 yards rushing.
Drake Cosby ran 17 times for 41 yards and Noah Shirk gained 39 yards on 10 attempts.
Clay pulled in six catches for 65 yards, one of which was a 3-yard score. Burton pulled in three for 36 yards, with a 16-yard TD. Brodey Reisinger made four catches for 53.
“Games like this, maybe fans don’t enjoy them as much,” said Rapp. “But as a coach, I kind of enjoy it more because it is tougher. It’s harder. And so you really kind of see what your kids are made of when their backs are against the wall. It shouldn’t be super easy all the time.
“It’s nice to see we’ve got a bunch of guys when (the other team) is pushing back and it’s not always easy, that they don’t just take it. We’ll push right back,” Rapp said.