The Central Highlands under-18 side was close to celebrating a memorable victory on Saturday, but eventually suffered defeat in extra time.
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A rushed behind by a Highlanders player allowed Riddell District to tie the scores seconds before the final siren sounded.
After that, the Riddell District boys kicked clear to win the match by 23 points.
Highlanders coach Pete Rizzoli said it was disappointing to lose after leading the game so close to the end, but was proud of the way his young side performed on the day.
The team lost James Spicer early in the clash with a hamstring injury, while Nick Pantzidis was taken to hospital with a bad ankle injury.
Rizzoli said Pantzidis, from Buninyong, was cleared of a break, but had sustained a severe sprain.
Joseph Watkins won the medal as the CHFL’s best player for his display off half back, while Charlie Mathieson collected that honour for the RDFL.
