And though THS held leads for a good chunk of time twice in the Frontier League clash, Ottawa would eventually answer right before halftime and at the end of regulation for a 14-10 victory.

Tonganoxie scored first with 7:06 left in the second quarter. Bodee Maslak found Brady Martin for a 16-yard touchdown reception and a Cody Lobb extra point made it 7-0.

The Chieftains would hold the lead until just 34.6 seconds remained before intermission. The Cyclones answered with a 7-yard run and the teams would head into halftime with a 7-7 tie.

Tonganoxie eventually would score again with 5:26 left in the game when Cody Lobb hit a 31-yard field goal. The clutch kick appeared to be enough as the clock kept winding down.

Ottawa’s Gavin Seaton took the kickoff return to the Tonganoxie 45, but Tonganoxie still was leading with 1:49 left and Ottawa facing fourth and 14 from the THS 25. The Cyclones found a way to convert when Haydon Hull scrambled and threw under pressure to Jayce Mourning, who hauled in the pass at the Tonganoxie 3. Ottawa would score with 1:15 left on an Armani Velez 3-yard run on the next play. Seaton kicked both Ottawa extra points. Ottawa had gone 0-for-5 on fourth-down conversions in the second half before the crucial conversion late in the game.

Tonganoxie fell to 4-4, while Ottawa improved to 5-3. Tonganoxie lost three straight games at the end of the regular season, though the last two weeks were oh so close.

THS enters the Week 9 playoff game as the No. 5 seed in the Class 4A East Bracket. The Chieftains will take on the No. 12 Fort Scott Tigers at 7 p.m. Friday at Beatty Field. The winner takes on the winner of No. 4 Atchison (5-3) and No. 13 Bishop Miege (3-5).