POULSBO — In a down-to-the-wire football showdown, the North Kitsap Vikings topped the Kingston Buccaneers, 28-20, Friday at the North Kitsap Stadium.

“In a rivalry game, you throw all scores out, all records, all history,” Viking Head Coach Steve Frease said. “It comes down to execution. Kingston executed quite well. I know our kids stepped up when it counted though.”

The Vikings scored early on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Alex Nettleton to tight end Tolen McGregor to start things off. The Bucs quickly answered, though, on a 35-yard rushing touchdown by Travis Schriner. From there, both squads battled back and forth, with touchdowns by Codie Allen and Alex Fuchs for North, and George Marinan and George Hill for Kingston.

But it was Alex Flores who put the game away for North, with a 42-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to put the Vikings up by eight, where they would remain for the rest of the game thanks to strong defense and a pick by Andrew Urquhart that halted a Buc drive with 11 seconds left in the game.

“It was a good football game overall,” Kingston Head Coach Dan Novick said. “From a sheer heart and character standpoint, I’m proud. It’s a positive direction from last week. I’m not satisfied with losing, but I am pleased with our kids’ competitive spirit.”