TACOMA — North Kitsap undoubtedly played one of its the best games of the season on the defensive side of the ball against the Bellarmine Lions Friday night.
The Vikings held Bellarmine to five first downs and a 112 yards of total offense in a pivotal Narrows League Bay Division matchup in Tacoma.
But in the end it wasn’t enough.
Bellarmine (5-3 overall, 3-2 league) got the big plays when it needed to, clinching the third and final Narrows League Bay division playoff spot while simultaneously eliminating the Vikings (3-5 overall, 2-3 league) from playoff contention with a 14-0 victory on a rain soaked field that resembled more a mud pit at a monster truck rally than a football field in Tacoma.
“We played in some lousy conditions,” said Vikings coach Steve Frease. “The field was full of mud and it limited what we could do offensively. We couldn’t throw the ball and the field conditions made our counter game, and our ability to run outside inefficient.”
Due to the playing conditions, the game became a battle of the inside runs. North running backs Kyle Brose and Jamaal Smith combined to rush for 161 yards against Bellarmine’s defense. The majority of those yards came right up the middle.
“It was a smash mouth kind of football game. We were able to move the ball all night but we couldn’t sustain any of our drives,” Frease said.
At halftime, both teams had failed to find pay dirt resulting in a 0-0 tie.
In the third quarter, a fumble on an exchange between North’s quarterback and running back resulted in a Bellarmine recovery at North’s five-yard line.
Bellarmine scored a touchdown a five-yard run on its next play taking a 7-0 lead with 8:19 remaining in the third quarter. Bellarmine held its lead deep into the fourth quarter until it picked off Vikings quarterback Taylor Chisholm in the closing minutes, returning the interception for a touchdown which put the game out of reach at 14-0 with 1:31 left in regulation.
“We had our chances to win,” Frease said. “Our defense played pretty well. The kids were really disappointed (about being knocked out of playoff hunt) after the game. We competed so hard. As a team, we invest so much time and losing a game like this one hurts. Our kids played really hard and that’s all you can ask of them as a coach.”
The Vikings will face the Wilson Rams in a Narrows League crossover game at 7 p.m. Friday night at the Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma. The Vikings are the No. 4 team from the Narrows League Bay Division and Wilson is the No. 4 squad from the Narrows League Bridge Division.
“They like to mix it up and do a little of everything. We need to stop their running game,” Frease said of Wilson’s approach on offense. “We have to limit our turnovers. We haven’t won the turnover battle that often this season and that’s something we need to do.”
