On the previous possession, Teagan Gourneau kept Lyman’s drive alive with a spectacular play on 4th and 11, hooking up with Jacob Sazue for an 11-yard pass and a first down to Timber Lake’s one-yard line. On another fourth down, Gourneau connected with Isaac Thomas for a four-yard touchdown strike with 36 seconds left. 

After Lyman’s failed two-point conversion kept the score at 18-18, Timber Lake took over at its own 47-yard line with 29 seconds left. After picking up a key first down, Timber Lake faced 1st and 10 at Lyman’s 43-yard line with 13 ticks left. 

The Panthers had two receivers on the left side of the field, Kraft faced single coverage on the right side and Martin lofted a pass toward his all-state receiver. 

“He chucked it up there and athletes make plays and that’s what happened,” Timber Lake coach Ryan Gimbel said. 

Kraft turned toward the pass, hauled in it at the 10-yard line and darted in for the go-ahead score. 

“I knew his speed was his different ability and his jumping ability,” said Gimbel about Kraft, a state champion triple jumper. “I knew he could go up and get one if he needed to. He came up big and Kedrick threw a phenomenal ball. He put it where it needed to be. Both of them saved our season right there.”

After a short kickoff, Lyman took over at Timber Lake’s 49-yard line with four seconds left. But Gourneau’s last-gasp pass was incomplete as time expired, sealing Timber Lake’s quarterfinal victory. 

“It feels amazing,” added Kraft. “The last two seasons we didn’t win a first round playoff game and it feels pretty good to go into the third round now.”

Timber Lake's Brady Sandquist, left, is tackled by Lyman's Teagan Gourneau on Thursday in Presho. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Kraft scored three first-half touchdowns, including a 12-yard touchdown run for a 18-0 lead with 30 seconds before halftime. But Lyman needed just three plays to respond, culminating with a Gourneau-to-Colton Collins seven-yard touchdown reception with three seconds before halftime. 

In the third quarter, the Raiders got within 18-12 on a Collins six-yard touchdown run with 4:44 left in the frame. In the fourth quarter, Lyman used a 21-play drive that chewed up 10 minutes and 15 seconds. The Raiders converted four fourth-down plays to keep the drive alive, including Gourneau’s four-yard touchdown strike to Thomas. 

But the failed two-point conversion kept the score at 18-18, setting the stage for Timber Lake’s game-winning touchdown and capping what Gimbel described as “the ups and downs of a rollercoaster.”

“We executed the first half and then we came out flat and they came out on fire,” Gimbel said. “They were ready to go and they made their halftime adjustments. They were phenomenal adjustments and we had to battle through that.”

Collins led the Raiders with 111 rushing yards and one touchdown. Gourneau had 99 passing yards, while Sam McClanahan had 43 receiving yards and Sazue had 42 receiving yards. Gourneau added an interception on defense. Collins had a team-high 5.5 tackles. The Raiders finish the season 8-2.

Martin finished with 118 passing yards on 6 of 18 passing attempts. Dixon Booth and Chazz Gabe had 32 and 30 receiving yards, respectively. Kraft posted a team-high nine tackles, while Jayce Lawrence racked up eight tackles. Brandt Ducheneaux had a team-high 1.5 sacks. 

The Panthers (9-1) will host Platte-Geddes, which upset No. 1 seed Hanson on Thursday, in the semifinals next Friday at Doug Kraft Field in Timber Lake. 

“I can’t describe it,” Gimbel said about hosting the semifinal contest. “I don’t look forward to painting the field again, but I am happy to do it. We have to gameplan and we have to get ourselves ready for next Friday night because they are a tough squad.”