VIDALIA — With 2:26 left in regulation and a 14-13 lead, Vidalia High School felt good about its chances of pulling out a crucial District 3-3A win Friday night.

Up to that point, the Vikings defense had held opponent Bunkie High School to less than 130 yards of total offense. With the Panthers trapped on their own 16-yard line, Vikings fans had to think the Vidalia defense had one more defensive stand in them.

As Panthers quarterback Kendrick Leary rolled out for a pass with defenders bearing down on him, the next few seconds looked like they would be huge for Vidalia, with a sack behind the line of scrimmage seemingly inevitable.

Instead, the next few seconds would end up being a dagger in the hearts of the Vidalia faithful. Leary hit receiver Montrey Michel in the open field, who outran two Vikings defenders for an 84-yard touchdown reception with 2:13 to go in the fourth quarter, giving the Panthers a 19-14 lead.

“We lost our coverage for a split second or two, and (Michel) got behind us, and that was the ball game,” Vikings head coach Dee Faircloth said.

Despite a last-ditch effort by the Vidalia offense during the next possession, the Vikings turned the ball over on downs. Bunkie then took a knee, ending the game and leaving the Vikings with the worst of feelings.

“This is real tough,” Faircloth said. “(We) had the ball game won. For 46 minutes, we led this ball game.

“This is a really tough loss, because our kids played hard, and they had it. They had it, and we let it slip through our fingers.”

Vidalia led 8-0 to start the second half, and on the opening kickoff of the half, Vidalia’s Tri McCoy returned the kickoff 54 yards to give the Vikings excellent field position.

The Vikings were able to overcome a couple of penalties that backed them up, and finally put the ball in the end zone with 9:38 to go in the third quarter on a 7-yard touchdown reception by McCoy.

Bunkie got the momentum back on the ensuing kickoff, however, as the Panthers’ Herman Dupas returned the ball 61 yard to give the Panthers favorable field position with just over nine minutes to go in the third.

Several plays later, Bunkie scored its first touchdown of the evening on a 1-yard quarterback keeper by Leary with 7:45 left in the third.

The Panthers scored again later in the third on a 30-yard reception by Dupas with 7:45 to go in the quarter.

Vidalia scored the game’s only first-half touchdown on an 84-yard pass from Vikings quarterback Caleb Vines to receiver Gary Stewart.

If there was any silver lining to the game for the Vikings, it was the defense holding the quick Panthers offense to just 19 points.

“The defense did a heck of a job,” Faircloth said. “I’m so proud of that defensive unit, because we stuck it to them.”

The loss for the Vikings significantly hurts their chances of making the playoffs, but Faircloth said he’s not going to give up on the season.

“We’re 3-5, and it’d take a miracle, but we’ve got our last two games on the road, so I told them that we’ve just got to blow and go.”

Vidalia fell to 2-2 in district play.