NORTH MANCHESTER – The Tippecanoe Valley football team had waited a long time for Friday night.

The Vikings, after five weeks of being on the wrong end of the scoreboard, finally got to taste victory.

An opportunistic Valley team outlasted host Manchester 31-28 in a Three Rivers Conference matchup that went right to the very end.

The Vikings claimed the contest, which featured a pair of winless teams at the start of the night, after recovering an onside kick late and running out the clock.

Valley, which snaps a nine-game losing streak dating back to last year, improves to 1-5 overall and goes to 1-3 in TRC play. Manchester drops to 0-6 overall and 0-3 in league action.

The Vikings took a 31-20 lead on a six-yard touchdown run by quarterback Alec Craig with 4:02 left. Craig’s score came after a Wes Melanson interception was returned deep into Manchester territory to the Squires’ 12-yard line.

The Squires, who lost to  Valley 36-27 last year, did not quit. Manchester connected on a 35-yard touchdown strike with just 1:49 left to make it 31-28 after the two-point conversion was good.

The game was tied at 6-6 after the opening quarter. Craig scored the first Viking touchdown of the night with a 30-yard interception return. The Vikings led 13-13 at halftime after Craig hit Bryce Webster with an 11-yard touchdown toss.

The Vikings extended their lead to 19-12 in the third period on a two-yard scoring run by Genoah Maliniemi. The Squires answered again with a touchdown and two-point conversion to take a 20-19 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Valley responded in big time form in the final period. DJ Heckman scored on a 13-yard run with 6:05 left to give his team a 25-20 lead. Craig then went in from six yards out for the final tally in the win.

The Valley defense came up big with four turnovers, including three interceptions. The Vikings had just one turnover in the win. Each team totaled just over 200 yards of offense with Valley throwing for just 25 yards and the Squires being held to just 47 yards rushing.

Heckman led the offense for Valley with 68 yards on the ground on 17 carries,

The Vikings have now won six of the last seven meetings with the Squires. Manchester has lost eight in a row dating back to last season.

Valley hosts Rochester (0-6, 0-4) and Manchester hosts Whitko (5-1, 3-1)in TRC games next Friday night. Northfield beat Rochester 70-6 and Southwood topped Whitko 52-35 in league games Friday night.