Throop, PA — THROOP — Down five with 2 seconds to go and only one yard from a winning touchdown, Mid Valley coach Stan Yanoski went to a signature play he’s had ready since the first day of camp. Put the ball in the hands of junior running back Jakob Lesher, and trust that the Spartans offensive line will leave him enough room for a winning plunge. It did, and Mid Valley escaped with a walkoff 26-25 victory over visiting Honesdale on Friday at Spartan Stadium. “We said, ‘This is going to win a game for us. This is the play we’re going to go to,’ ” Yanoski said. “And the line just blocked great for him, and he’s got to be one of the best backs in the area. I can’t imagine there are too many more that are better than him.” Lesher rushed for 215 yards total and three scores — all of the latter coming in the second half — as Mid Valley saw a 14-0 lead evaporate only to rally back twice against the resilient Hornets. Starting at their own 32 with 4:44 left and needing a touchdown to win, the Spartans managed the clock perfectly and executed a 14-play drive capped off by Lesher’s final dive. Seven plays earlier, he converted a fourth-and-2 with 1:33 remaining that kept the march alive. Mid Valley was also aided by a 15-yard penalty for pass interference. “I know I’m confident with the ball in my hand, but I can’t do anything without everyone on the team contributing,” Lesher said. “The blocking up front was phenomenal. I did what I did, but they especially did what they did. I can’t do anything without them up front.” Early on, it was the Mid Valley (5-3 overall, 1-2 in Division II) defense that came through in the clutch with three red zone takeaways in the first half: a goal line stand in the first quarter and two interceptions in the end zone by Connor Hughes in the second frame. Honesdale (3-5, 2-1) had 12 first downs and, still, faced a 7-0 deficit at the break. But the Hornets finally converted those drives into points in the second half. Down 14-0, Gabe Duda dashed into the end zone from 10 yards out to cut the deficit in half. Then, with 8:18 to go, Mason Avery finished off a 13-play drive with a 14-yard touchdown but missed the extra-point attempt, and the score stayed 14-13. After the Hornets forced a quick punt, quarterback Aiden Collins ran in from 7 yards to give Honesdale a 19-14 lead and all the momentum with 5:28 left. But Lesher took it right back with a 50-yard run on the next play from scrimmage. Avery then hustled 71 yards on Honesdale’s next play, but it turns out the lightning-quick score helped leave too much time on the clock for the Mid Valley offense. “The playoffs really have started now,” Yanoski said. “We’re trying to get good positioning so we can maybe be here (at home) again. So, we’re taking it week by week, and we know what’s down the road, so we’re just going to get ready for West Scranton.”