POULSBO — A trio of touchdowns by Vikings defensive back/receiver Reuben Scuffy wasn’t enough to collar the Cougars Thursday night.
While Scuffy earned the hat trick — catching a pair of TD passes from quarterback Chad Foster and running an interception back 90 yards for a third touchdown — costly penalties, turnovers, and a few big plays by the Cougars handed the Vikings their eighth loss, 34-20.
North Kitsap is still winless on the year, but has one more chance. The yearly crossover game will be played Thursday, Nov. 1 against Mount Tahoma. The game will be played at Lincoln.
Central Kitsap got on the board first last Thursday. A 28-yard pass from Cougar quarterback Jake Higgs to receiver Josh Goffin gave Central Kitsap great field position, as they were poised at the North Kitsap 7-yard line.
But the Vikings held the Cougars out of the end zone. A Blake Berryman run was stopped short by defensive lineman Jacob Freiboth. On the next carry, Berryman was tackled by a horde of Vikings, who pushed the Cougars’ 5’9” sprinter to the ground for no gain. And Berryman’s third attempt was cut short when linebacker Mark Sargeant slammed into him, keeping the running back short of the end zone.
An Eric Forbes kick gave the Cougars a 3-0 lead.
The Vikings’ first drive started out with promise as Clark Hutchman got the ball on a reverse and ran 39 yards for a huge Viking gain.
But the drive stalled, and the Vikings gave the ball back to the Cougars.
Neither team scored again as the first quarter closed. But the Cougars scored again in the second as a long drive was aided by back-to-back North Kitsap offsides penalties.
Central took eventually took advantage, as Berryman swept his way up the left side for a 17-yard touchdown run that gave Central Kitsap a 10-0 lead with almost eight minutes left in the first half.
Berryman struck again in the Cougars’ next drive, first by plunging into a mob of tacklers and bouncing outside for a 38-yard gain, then by streaking his way forward for a 31-yard carry.
The Cougars’ T.J. Driver finished the job, running down the left sideline for a 21-yard score.
Central’s lead was 17-0.
A bit of creativity by the Vikings led to them cutting into that gap moments later.
Quarterback Chad Foster rolled out, eluded a pair of defenders, and flung a pass downfield to Scuffy.
Scuffy turned and bolted downfield; a block sprung him free; and Scuffy glided into the end zone for a 65-yard score.
The kick was blocked, but the Vikings had cut into the Cougars’ lead. It was 17-6.
The Vikings slashed the Cougars’ lead again as the final minute of the first half ticked down.
With the Cougars rolling, quarterback Higgs dropped back and flung a pass, which was then picked up by Scuffy. Scuffy, who stepped in front of running back Robert Kelso for the pick, hustled his way downfield for a 90-yard interception return.
Central’s lead as halftime arrived was 17-12.
The Cougars’ ground game burned the Vikings again in the second half as Dustin Wilson sprinted up the right side, cut inside a blocker, and ran his way 66 yards for a touchdown.
Central’s lead was 24-12; a few minutes later it was 27-12, as Forbes booted another field goal.
Central struck again early in the fourth. A James Smith fumble on a kick return gave the Cougars a 30-yard field. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Vikings and a 14-yard Berryman run put them inside the 1-yard line and Higgs took advantage, punching the ball into the end zone himself for a 34-12 lead.
The Vikings managed a fine drive as the fourth quarter wound down, with Foster hitting Jerrod Gonzales for a gain; Patrick Gilbert for a gain; and finally, hitting Scuffy for a 15-yard touchdown. The two point-conversion (Foster to Gilbert) was good, but not enough for the win.
North lost 34-20.
“In 28 seasons I’ve never had this bad a record,” said Vikings head coach Jerry Parrish. “that stresses me.”
But Parrish sees promise in the effort and intensity of the younger players.
“They don’t quit,” he said. “they just keep going. That’s something I can say.”
