GIG HARBOR — The battle for Narrows’ Bridge Division supremacy may have been won Friday night.

And it didn’t end the way North’s Vikings (1-2) would have liked.

North Kitsap fell to the Tides 21-14 in a game called by many to be the Narrows’ Bridge Division marquee match-up. If that presumption holds true, the Tides will have the upper hand heading into a Narrows’ title game versus an opponent from the Narrows’ Bay Division on the Tacoma side of the bridge.

Though Vikes head Coach Jerry Parrish said it was his team’s best on-field effort of the year, North still has some improving to do.

“We just didn’t play as well as we’re capable of playing,” Parrish said. “They’re a pretty darn good ball club but I believe we can play better.”

It was a game featuring the Narrows’ brightest offense — NK’s quarterback Jared Prince and entourage — against arguably the league’s toughest defense.

Prince went 11-for-30 with 181 total yards and two interceptions. Even in the loss, Prince outshined Gig Harbor quarterback Matt Shearer by a long shot, with Shearer only going four yards combined all game.

But the Tides’ ground game did its fair share of steam-rolling, with three touchdowns on 279 yards.

Though the Tides held the Vikings to just two TDs — 19 points lower than North’s lowest offensive output this year — the game was decided on the team’s weaker sides: Gig’s offense and NK’s defense. And whereas in the last two games in which pass defense had been the key issue, this time it was the Tides’ run that did NK in.

“Our pass defense was fine,” Parrish said, “but our run defense was a little shallow.”

Parrish spoke highly of Prince but less so of his receivers, who managed to drop nine passes on a mucky Friday night in Gig Harbor.

“We need to work harder on concentration,” Parrish said. “There’s nothing that can’t be fixed. Repetition is the mother of invention.”

Nonetheless, Parrish is resolved in his team’s playoffs chances.

“It’s one game,” Parrish said. “Seven more league games to go — seven we’re very capable of winning.”

The Vikings will host Bremerton (0-3) at 7 p.m. Sept. 24, the first game on their home field since losing to Bainbridge Sept. 3. But the team has added junior Joel Guido and senior Spencer Burns, each had been out due to eligibility issues. The result will be a strengthened line, Parrish commented.

“We can’t take Bremerton lightly,” he said. “We’re going to work hard this week. And we’re going to be at full strength.”