Instead of celebrating what would’ve probably been its biggest win in years, Logansport’s football team was left in stunned silence.

In an unbelievable turn of events, Huntington North stole a win in the fourth quarter Friday night at Berry Stadium. The Vikings scored 21 unanswered points in the final 4:39 of the contest to escape town with a 31-24 victory.

“It’s a tough one to swallow, but you’ve got to play four quarters of football and [Friday] we didn’t,” Logan coach Bucky Kramer said. “There’s no fingers to be pointed because there were situations with special teams, offense and defense where we need to convert.”

The Berries (2-1, 0-1 North Central Conference) outplayed the Vikings (1-2, 1-0 NCC) for three quarters and held a somewhat comfortable 24-10 lead entering the fourth quarter.

The Berries’ defense was stout most of the game, and even on the Vikings’ first touchdown drive of the fourth quarter they made them drive 72 yards on 11 plays which took up nearly five minutes off the clock. The drive was capped with 4:39 left to play on a two-yard TD run by Austin Shoemaker, who had bigger things in store. Lamarr Stovall blocked the PAT attempt and the score was 24-16.

Following a poorly hit onside kick, Logan got the ball on HN’s 37-yard line. After stalling on three run attempts, a Stovall punt pinned the Vikings back to their 13-yard line with 2:57 to play.

From there it took the Vikings just four plays and :49 seconds off the clock to drive 87 yards for a score, capped by a 22-yard run by Shoemaker, who earlier had a 43-yard run on the drive. The Vikings tied it on a remarkable catch in the corner of the end zone by Cody Frazier on the 2-point conversion try.

The Berries ran their two-minute drill and drove the ball 29 yards before they faced a fourth-and-1 on the 50-yard line with :45 left to play. Kramer decided to go for the win in regulation and dialed up a play that had been successful all night, but the run was stuffed to give the Vikings back the ball at midfield.

Two Vikings’ pass attempts fell incomplete, but on the second one pass interference was called on Logan to set up first-and-10 from the Logan 34-yard line. Shoemaker then got the ball on a handoff and ran it in for the go-ahead score with :20 left to cap the incredible comeback.

Shoemaker was bottled up for much of the game, yet still finished with 254 yards rushing on 30 carries and four touchdowns.

“Austin Shoemaker’s a great back. We knew that going into the game,” Kramer said. “That offensive line stayed pretty consistent, running that counter trey. Austin found the holes, cut back and did what he needed to do.”

The deflating finish for the Berries obscured what otherwise was a strong performance against a 5A school with a noticeable size advantage on the field. The Vikings had routed the Berries in their last two meetings.

But Logan came out of the gates strong, opening with a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive that was capped by a three-yard TD run by Bo Bullard. The drive also included a 43-yard pass from Tanner Hess to Quortney Jackson.

Cody Koedam gave Logan a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter with a 35-yard field goal.

A turning point in the first half occurred when Logan’s Victor Silva broke free for a 46-yard run around left end that nearly went for a touchdown with the Berries leading 10-0. But the play was called back on an illegal procedure penalty. Logan’s drive stalled and instead had to punt, and the punt was blocked to give the Vikings the ball on the LHS 38-yard line. Four plays later Shoemaker ran in his first touchdown on the night from 11 yards out to make it 10-7 instead of what was nearly 17-0.

“[The referee] said our right tackle was lined up incorrectly,” Kramer said of the illegal procedure penalty. “That was what the referee said and that’s what I have to live with. I’m not going to agree or disagree.”

Hess gave Logan a 17-7 lead when he took the ball around left end and zigged and zagged through the Huntington defense for a 73-yard score with 1:14 left in the first half.

But on a drive that foreshadowed things to come, Shoemaker broke free on a 41-yard run on third-and-10 to set up a 21-yard field by Andrew Coe to make it 17-10 as time expired in the first half.

Bullard added a five-yard TD run in the third quarter to give Logan its 24-10 lead. The sophomore fullback finished with 85 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Hess had 128 yards rushing and a TD and 136 yards passing. His top target was Jarod Schrock, who finished with five catches for 68 yards. Jackson added two catches for 60 yards.

Dalton Christensen led the Logan defense with nine tackles.

“Logansport played an incredible game,” HN coach Rief Gilg said. “They came in and dominated us. They’re a well-coached team. They always are, we knew that coming in. We did not get off the bus well. They were taking it to us.

“Our kids just hung in there. I’m very proud of that.”