BLANCHARDVILLE — Just about everyone at McKellar Park knew what was coming.

With the ball just shy of midfield, the score tied at 14 and the Potosi prep football team facing a fourth-and-1 midway through the third quarter, the Chieftains weren't really going to punt, were they?

Punter Derek Flesch provided the predictable answer, stepping to his left to take the snap, cutting to the outside and bursting down the right sideline for a 21-yard gain.

That, along with a few other key plays by Flesch, helped set up a 28-14 win for Potosi over Pecatonica-Argyle Saturday afternoon in a key Six Rivers Conference game.

It was the first time the Chieftains (4-0 overall, 3-0 Six Rivers) had beaten the Vikings (2-2, 2-1) in program history.

"We wanted it so bad, came out and got it," said Flesch, a senior quarterback who passed for 81 yards and a score and ran for 61 yards and two TDs. "It feels awesome."

And Flesch was a big reason why Potosi's run toward its first conference title since 1992 continued to gather pace.

He directed a 14-play, 71-yard drive in the third quarter that gave the Chieftains a 21-14 lead and took nearly 7 minutes off the clock. And his 4-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown run provided a healthy 14-point lead Pec-Argyle never cracked.

But none of his 18 rushes were more pivotal than the 21-yard scamper that gave Potosi new life in the third quarter.

The Chieftains had seen the Vikings use a reverse flea-flicker to grab a 14-7 advantage in the second quarter, with junior Taylor Udelhofen's 20-yard catch forging a tie 2 minutes, 6 seconds before halftime.

And with Potosi's second drive of the second half sputtering, the fake punt took the Chieftains into Pec-Argyle territory and set up senior fullback Noah Gibson's 3-yard scoring plunge.

"We knew they were going to fake it," Vikings coach Larry Green said. "We practiced on it all week and you saw our guys got themselves out of a position to make plays."

From there, Potosi's defense took over. The Chieftains sacked Pec-Argyle senior quarterback Milton Kurschner six times and didn't allow a first down during the third quarter.

Potosi senior defensive back Brandon Bolton ended the Vikings' hopes when he intercepted Kurschner in the end zone with less than 4 minutes remaining.

"We talked about in the halftime being physical and coming out and playing real physical in that third quarter, and just hoping to wear them out," Chieftains coach Mark Siegert said. "I was real pleased with that."