PORT ORCHARD — The smoky haze above Joe Knowles Field reappeared just as quickly as it vanished throughout the night.
It was that kind of game for North Kitsap, which saw the celebratory explosives go off often in the Vikings’ 41-7 loss Friday against South Kitsap in the “Civil War” game.
North (0-2), which also lost its opener 41-7 at Bainbridge, wasn’t able to establish momentum early in the game. The Wolves opened the game with an onside kick, which was recovered by kicker Drew Klopfstein, and Stephen Tucker gave South a 6-0 lead just five plays later and 39 seconds into the game on a 1-yard run.
“South is a good club and they took full advantage of their scouting report with the onside kick,” said North coach Steve Frease. “The special teams really hurt us.”
South added another touchdown late in the first quarter when quarterback Chad Tester found Devlan Miller for a 46-yard touchdown pass and extended the lead to 20-0 midway through the second quarter on a 76-yard run up the middle by Tucker.
It was another dominant performance for Tucker, who rushed for 173 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. He had 198 yards on 33 carries in the Wolves’ 21-19 loss at Kentwood in the Aug. 30 season opener.
“Last week we rode him pretty hard and he was sore,” said Wolves coach BJ Sigurdson. “It was nice to see him go out and play well.”
The Vikings (0-2) finally scored on a 70-yard drive that spanned 15 plays when Kyle Brose, who had a team-high 65 yards on 19 carries, scored on a 1-yard run to cut their deficit to 19-7 with 56 seconds left in the half.
But any excitement for the Vikings was short lived, as Ryan Williams took the kickoff across the field and down the right sideline for an 89-yard touchdown that gave South a 27-7 edge into halftime.
South substituted players liberally in the second half and reserve running back Sean Allison scored on 8 and 11 yards in the final two quarters to bring the score to its final.
The Wolves now have won 10 of their last 11 meetings against the Vikings in a series that has been played intermittently since the 1970s. With Kingston’s opening, North will move to the 3A Olympic League next season and the series will end for the foreseeable future.
Both teams have nonleague road games at 7 p.m. Friday with the Vikings heading to Yelm and South playing rival Central Kitsap.
“Although the score doesn’t indicate it, we played better,” Frease said. “It’s time to get a turning point in the season. It’s possible our kids can turn it around.”
