The Kingston Buccaneers started their season off with a win against the Chimacum Cowboys at KHS Friday night.

The Bucs held out for a 20-18 victory in the fourth quarter after a back-and-forth battle in the final eight minutes of the game.

A wave of interceptions and turnovers in the final minutes kept the teams from progressing downfield, but would eventually end in a possession by the Bucs to end the game with a knee.

“Some of the guys had the first game jitters, there were a number of passes that should have been complete,” assistant coach Scott McKay said. “But the team still held out fairly well in the first half.”

The first half of the game was reminiscent of last season. Incomplete passes by the Bucs forced them inside their own 30 yard line for the first eight minutes of the game, McKay said.

By halftime, the Bucs were down 7-12, but two consecutive touchdowns in the third quarter changed the pace of the game.

In the fourth quarter, with the Bucs up 20-12, two interceptions kept the Cowboys penned up.

With less than four minutes left in the game, the Cowboys attempted a two-point conversion after scoring what would be their final six points of the game, but the conversion failed and left them down 20-18.

A final turnover by the Bucs left them standing comfortably in their own 20 yard line as the clock ran out and the team was left with a 1-0 standing at the beginning of the season.

Kingston plays a home game against the Bainbridge Island Spartans at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10