The Vikings played their hearts out during a homecoming game against league foe Seattle Lutheran, but it wasn’t enough to clinch the win.

With six minutes left in the game and the score at 28-27, Viking Jake Zier, running at full speed despite a slight limp, made a touchdown. The crowd’s cheers were for naught: the touchdown was thrown out because of a holding call.

A dejected Orcas team accepted its loss and helped an exhausted Zier off the field.

The Seattle Lutheran game was the first in a four-week stretch “where every game is essentially a playoff game,” said coach Scott Harris.

The Vikings beat the Saints last year, 28-20.