PINE GROVE - If you don't believe that miracles happen, then you should have been at Friday night's District 11 Class 1A football championship game.

More specifically, the final 4:16 of a thrilling title game between Marian and Williams Valley.With time moving faster than the Canadian Geese heading south to Florida, a Williams Valley loss appeared to be a forgone conclusion.The Vikings trailed 31-14. But what happened in those final minutes of play can only be called a gift from an angel - a Guardian Angel.The Colts were on the cusp of claiming a second straight district gold medal. Some fans had headed to the gates, other fans listening to local radio broadcasts had no doubt turned the station off.No way Williams Valley had a chance to win it.But faster than you could say "Miracle in the Meadowlands" and quicker then you could flash back to Doug Flutie's Hail Mary pass to upset mighty Miami, things began to change.When the game was over, Williams Valley had rallied for an incredible 34-31 victory."I thought I used all my miracles against Tri-Valley," said Williams Valley coach Tim Savage, referring to a comeback win in the regular season.."I can't believe what I just saw," said a stunned Marian coach Stan Dakosty.What happened was truly remarkable.Marian had appeared to land the final dagger in the heart of the Vikings on an interception by Seth Paluck at the Marian 25 midway through the final quarter with the Colts holding a 17-point lead.But suddenly a dark cloud started to hover over the Colts.On a third-down play, a fumbled snap exchange by Marian returned the ball to Williams Valley. Three plays later, Dylan Rabuck hit the end zone on a one-yard run. The score was setup when quarterback Levi Engle hit Allen Hand with a 26-yard pass.Despite the score, the Colts were still in control 31-20. with 4:16 to play.But three plays later, panic was about to set in. The Colts fumbled again and Rabuck scooped it up and returned it 51 yards and with 3:31 left. The Vikings added the two-point conversion and trailed 31-28.Momentum had clearly swung in favor the top seeded Vikings.When the Colts went three-and-out and then got off just a 17-yard punt, Williams Valley was within striking distance of a win.Marian looked like it was going to survive when Williams Valley faced a fourth-and-11 call at the Colt 32-yard line.But the magic was still in the air.Engle found Hand in the flat uncovered for a huge 24-yard completion to the eight. Three plays later, Engle snuck in from the one with 41 to play."We didn't finish them off, and they deserve all the credit," said Dakosty. "This is something that I never experienced (in all) my years of coaching."Marian had bullied its way past Williams Valley through the first three-and-a-half quarters.Colt quarterback Ethan Kuczynski had fired a 44-yard touchdown strike to Anthony Colleveichio to cap a 77-yard drive for a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter. Even after Williams Valley answered on a super 65-yard touchdown run by Rabuck, Marian answered back when Seth Paluck scored from the one following a Viking turnover for a 14-6 Marian lead.At the onset of the third quarter, another turnover by the Vikings, gave Marian the ball at the 17 and Kuczynski quickly fired first-down touchdown pass to Nick Erbe for a 21-6 lead.Williams Valley cut into the deficit using a nine-play, 71-yard drive which was capped off on a 2-yard Rabuck run before the Colts' Jarod Paisley booted a 25-yard field goal for a 24-14 Marian lead with 9:39 to play in the game. Minutes later, Kuczynski scored on a scintillating 66-yard run on a bootleg.The Colts appeared to be minutes away from a celebration. But it actuality, Williams Valley was just minutes away from a miracle.CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS ... Rabuck is a terrific running back. The junior crunched out 220 yards and now has 2,056 yards on the season.SAYING GOOD BYE: Marian will graduate 18 seniors. Dakosty had kind words about the entire group following the game.