• Haslett running back Mykal Stinson speaks on tremendous effort.

DELTA CHARTER TOWNSHIP - Haslett had the lead for nearly all of this one, but every time it seemed the Vikings would pull away, Waverly had an answer. Almost every time, that is, as Haslett running back Mykal Stinson put the team on his back and rumbled for a final game-clinching first down, ending it, 30-28, Vikings.

Stinson with two rushing touchdowns on the night, along with quarterback Jake Tahaney, ran Haslett to this victory.

Tahaney with two rushing touchdowns as well, headed a two-man rushing option attack that wore on Waverly's defense, especially into the fourth quarter.

Early in the second quarter, 17-14, this game had shootout written all over it, but then a sudden stalemate with excellent defense and a few turnovers left the scoreboard untouched until the fourth.

Finally, Tahaney broke one through on a bootleg, down the sidelines, to take a, 23-14, lead.

Waverly would answer when it seemed as though all hope was lost. On fourth down, Warriors quarterback Joe Schwartz threw a 29-yard floater to running back Jaden Sutton for the score, 23-21, with 3:18 left on the clock.

The upcoming onside kick was then recovered by Stinson. Haslett marched down Warriors territory behind Stinson's legs as they burnt all three of Waverly's timeouts and eventually punched in a six-yard score up the middle. Up, 30-21, the Vikings seemed to have put the final nail in the coffin, but not so fast.

On the ensuing kickoff, Waverly returned a botched squib kick all the way to paydirt, nearly knotting it back up, 30-28.

Haslett head coach Charlie Otlewski could not believe some of the breaks in this game.

"Weird stuff tonight going on with the football gods," Otlewski said about the play. "Squibbing it down field, then it goes backwards, then it goes forwards."

Another onside kick from the Warriors was answered with another Stinson recovery.

One Stinson first down later, and the traveling Haslett crowd began to chant "Stinson, Stinson!" Tahaney kneeled it as the Vikings ended their three-game skid and got back above .500 ball (4-3).

Stinson, who had two fumbles early in this game, rebounded with one big bruising run after another in what he called a "playoff game to us."

"I got down on myself for a little bit, but I've got to realize we are in the game," Stinson said after the win. "This is a playoff game to us, and we have got to come out with the W."

Otlewski spoke on his lead tailback's effort, just moments after he asked the junior to lead his team in a postgame victory dance.

"For a big guy that is 225 pounds, he gets his shoulders square," Otlewski said. "[He] ran really well in the open field."

"We are going to go with him right now, and stay with the big back."

The Vikings head to Williamston next Friday night at 7 P.M. to take on the Hornets, also now 4-3 on the year.