SWEET WIN MUSIC
Michigan City kicker Oleksiuk hits 18-yard FG in double OT to upend Valparaiso in 5A regional
Before, during and after the decisive field goal Friday night, Michigan City’s Andrew Oleksiuk remained calm.
The 5-foot-6 junior nailed the winning 18-yarder as the Wolves edged visiting Valparaiso 31-28 in double overtime in a Class 5A regional.
“Of course, it’s every kicker’s dream to hit the game-winner,” Oleksiuk said. “I’m feeling great. Deep in my mind, I knew it might come down to me. So I was getting ready.”
The Wolves (9-3), who recovered after relinquishing a 21-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter, won the third regional title in program history, adding to the backto-back titles in 2017 and 2018. They will host Zionsville (8-5) in a semistate game.
Michigan City turned around a 49-28 loss on Sept. 10 to Valparaiso (10-2), which had won three straight regional titles, and halted a seven-game losing streak in the series.
Senior running back Racion Anderson, who had 155 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, managed to lose his voice during the thriller.
“I’m just excited for my team,” he said. Valparaiso fumbled a reverse on first down in the second overtime, recovered by sophomore Jahari Branch. Anderson carried three times for 9 yards on Michigan City’s possession, setting the stage for Oleksiuk.
The Vikings called timeout, but Oleksiuk stayed focused.
“It made me appreciate the moment a little more,” Oleksiuk said. “I was feeling good. I was feeling confident. I just saw two big yellow goal posts. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while. It feels good for it to come in regionals.”
In the first overtime, Anderson gave Michigan City a 28-21 lead with a 9-yard TD run on third down. Valparaiso answered with a 2-yard TD run by senior quarterback Logan Lockhart, who had two TD runs and the tying TD catch late in the fourth quarter, also on third down.
Lockhart, who also completed 14 of 24 passes for 161 yards, helped engineer a big comeback for Valparaiso.
Trailing 21-7, the Vikings embarked on a 90-yard scoring drive. Senior running back Hayden Vinyard capped it with a 1-yard TD run with 6:29 left on a possession that was sustained by Lockhart’s 19-yard completion to senior Adler Hazlett on fourthand-10 from Michigan City’s 45-yard line.
Hazlett had five catches for 86 yards, having entered the game with four catches for 76 yards in his career.
But Michigan City limited Vinyard to 41 yards on 16 carries. He had close to 200 yards rushing and six touchdowns, including four on the ground, in the teams’ Duneland Athletic Conference game.
Down 21-14, Valparaiso held Michigan City to a three-and-out and took possession at its 23-yard line with 4:39 left.
The Vikings used a trick play to tie the score, with senior Thomas Vo taking an end-around on third down and throwing a TD pass to Lockhart with 1:48 left.
The Wolves drove as far as Valparaiso’s 23, but senior linebacker Nathan Craft came up with an interception for the Vikings, returning it to the 43 with 40.2 seconds left.
Valparaiso lined up for a 48-yard field goal with 6.2 seconds left, but after a delay-of-game penalty, a pass fell incomplete as time expired in regulation.
Michigan City snapped a 7-7 halftime tie on Anderson’s 11-yard TD run with 7:32 left in the third quarter, taking advantage of a shanked punt that put the ball at Valparaiso’s 29.
“The line was making big holes,” Anderson said. “They were just open every time.”
Michigan City sophomore quarterback Tyler Bush’s 25-yard TD pass to senior Omarion Hatch made it 21-7 with 2:24 left in the third.
Michigan City had taken a 7-0 lead when Bush hit a wide-open Trey Simmons for a 40-yard TD with 2:29 left in the first quarter.
Valparaiso tied the score with 3:05 left in the second quarter, capitalizing on junior Zachary Brown’s fumble recovery at its 39-yard line. The Vikings turned that turnover into
Lockhart’s 5-yard TD run, set up by a 38-yard pass from Lockhart to Hazlett.
Sophomore defensive back Tyler VerSchure also had two first-half interceptions for Valparaiso.
“Our guys played phenomenal, and our coaches coached phenomenal against a phenomenal team . ... I made some horrible play calls at the end of that game,” Michigan City coach Phil Mason said. “But beyond that, I can’t tell you how proud I am of these kids for overcoming the adversity that I put them in.
“Our kids were amazing, absolutely amazing — all of them. And our coaches were amazing. These kids preach togetherness, do everything as one. That’s our motto. That happened (Friday night) because I don’t know where I was.”