UPDATED: Lahser Tops Rival Andover For Playoff Spot in Regular Season Finale

The Lahser Knights had a lot to celebrate Friday night, notching another victory against their district and cross-town rival Andover Barons, 28-21, to secure an automatic playoff spot.

The win capped off a successful season and punctuated homecoming festivities during the game. Seniors Nate Cole and Daina Hill were named the 2011 homecoming king and queen during a halftime ceremony.

As for football, the Barons struck first and broke a scoreless tie in second quarter with a touchdown. The Knights moved the ball but couldn't get into the end zone themselves until less than a minute remained before halftime. Then they scored another one just 13 seconds later to take a 14-7 lead into the locker room.

Lahser seized a bit of the crowd momentum from halftime and took control of the game with two more quick touchdowns in the third quarter. Andover put together two more scoring drives to keep it interesting -- as they have all season -- but came up short.

Lahser Head Coach Dan Loria said he was proud of his players for handling adversity throughout the season for a playoff run.

"The season had its ups and its downs," he said, reflecting on the team's hot 3-0 start. "But we grew as the season went on. What we are today, who we are today, is because of what happened in the past."

He said he knew his team would react after falling behind early.

"When something bad happened, we responded in a positive way," Loria explained. "I knew we would battle back. We've been really focused all week. We knew we had to get that sixth win."

The Knights celebrate with a homecoming dance tonight and will learn who their opponents are in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday night when Fox Sports Detroit airs its Selection Sunday Show at 7 p.m.