Valdosta St. rally falls short in Div. II title game

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Posted 8:01AM on Sunday, December 15, 2002

FLORENCE, ALABAMA - David Kircus was determined not to repeat last year's disappointment when Grand Valley State lost to North Dakota in the final minute of the Division II championship game. Nobody panicked on the Lakers' sideline when Valdosta State scored 11 points in less than 30 seconds to tie Grand Valley State late in the fourth quarter Saturday. Curt Anes threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kircus with 1:04 left to give Grand Valley State of Michigan its first NCAA Division II title with a 31-24 victory over Valdosta State of Georgia. ``This means a lot after last season,'' Kircus said. ``We set the goal at the beginning of the season to win the national championship and to see it come true is an unbelievable experience.'' Kircus caught 11 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns, extending his all-division record for TD receptions in a season to 35. He finished his career with 76 receiving touchdowns, a Division II record. Anes, who won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the best player in Division II on Friday, completed 23 of 36 passes for 361 yards for the Lakers (14-0). Anes finished his career as the Division II offense leader with 11,881 yards. Anes praised Valdosta State as the best defense he's seen all season. ``I think we have the best offensive line and they were still getting to me,'' Anes said. Grand Valley State had a 24-13 lead late in the fourth quarter when the Blazers (14-1) tied the game by scoring 11 points in less than 30 seconds. Valdosta cut the lead to eight on Will Rhody's 43-yard field goal, his third of the game, with 3:30 to play. On the kickoff, Grand Valley State was backed up to its own 2. Anes fumbled a snap in the end zone, and defensive end Tim Thompson recovered for the touchdown. Buster Faulkner passed to C.J. Lofton for the 2-point conversion to tie it with 3:09 to play. Anes said he tried to knock the ball out of the end zone for a safety after the fumble, but said he was glad the Lakers' offense had one last chance to win the game. Grand Valley State coach Brian Kelly said there was no panic on the sideline after the Blazers tied the game. ``There was not any finger pointing when the offense came off the field. It was a matter of, 'Hey, we made a mistake and now let's atone for it,''' Kelly said. He said there was no question he wanted the ball in the hands of Anes and Kircus on that last drive. ``Those two guys have done the job all season and they did it one more time,'' Kelly said. Besides the winning score, Anes and Kircus connected on scoring passes of 54 and 67 yards. Aaron Jenkins ran for 99 yards and a touchdown to lead Valdosta State. Faulkner completed 26 of 41 passes for 139 yards with three interceptions. Valdosta State coach Chris Hatcher said his team has found ways to win close games all season, but fell just short this time. ``Durned if we didn't almost come back in this one and find another way to win,'' Hatcher said. Valdosta State stopped the Lakers on their first two possessions and took a 3-0 lead on a 26-yard field goal midway through the first period. But Grand Valley took control from there. The Lakers scored 36 seconds later on a 9-yard-run by Reggie Spearmon, which was set up by a 49-yard pass from Anes to Kircus. On Grand Valley's next possession, Anes found Kircus for the 54-yard score. Valdosta State got to 17-6 with less than a minute to play before halftime, on Rhody's 27-yard field goal. The score was set up when Thompson intercepted Anes' pass and returned it 36 yards to the Grand Valley 12. Anes and Kircus combined for the 67-yard score early in the third quarter. The Lakers stayed on the ground mostly after that until the Blazers rallied.