It’s a rationale generally shared by other coaches in the conference, too, which is why last Friday’s 21-14 loss to visiting Lake Norman was especially painful for the Vikings.

It was precisely the type of game the team needed to win.

But just about everything that needed to happen for North Meck to win the game failed to materialize. The Vikings’ quickness was neutralized by the brawn of the Wildcats. The individual parts of the team’s puzzle alternately looked good, and then out of place. The mistakes came at the worst possible times. Whether it was a dropped pass, a poor block, a silly penalty or a missed tackle, it made winning the game so much tougher for the Vikings (1-4 overall, 0-1 I-Meck).

“They were good up front,” Bradley said. “They dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage. They did a good job of tackling in space.”

One more step

To boil down the Vikings’ loss to a couple of plays would not be an accurate assessment, but there were certainly a few where one more step would have made a difference.

The play people at the stadium will remember for a long time will be the 29-yard run on a quarterback draw out of the wildcat formation by North Meck star Terrence Clyburn. Aside from the grace and athleticism Clyburn exhibited during the run, what will be remembered most clearly is how the field opened up like the Red Sea, and Clyburn appeared scot-free en route to a long touchdown.

Lake Norman’s Jake Forth dove in the direction of Clyburn, stuck out a hand and managed to clip Clyburn on the foot, saving a touchdown.

“We talk all the time,” Lake Norman coach Rob McNeely said, “and say that the play you make might be the one that saves the game, but that the next play after that is just as important.”

That attitude pretty much summed up the effort of the Wildcats (2-3, 1-0) on Friday. Forth didn’t just make a saving tackle on a long touchdown run, he was also on the receiving end of a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Colin Abercrombie in the fourth quarter that proved to be the gamewinning score.

In the trenches

The Vikings’ biggest area of concern after last Friday might be at the line of scrimmage.

The Wildcats’ strength is their offensive line, which has turned in several dominating performances this season already.

Against the Vikings, that Lake Norman line continually won the battles and opened holes for running backs Dylan Miller, Kyle Gradert and Corey Davis, who combined for 232 rushing yards.

The Wildcats offensive line was good enough that Abercrombie only needed to attempt 13 passes, almost all of them coming when the Wildcats wanted to, rather than needed to, throw the ball.

McNeely spoke about the flashiness of football nowadays, with spread offenses and fast players, but left little doubt as to his preferred style of play.

“The true toughness gauge is from run offense and run defense,” he said. “That’s where we try to excel.”

Special performance

Lake Norman won in the trenches, but the Wildcats also made things tough for the Vikings by turning in solid play on special teams. The Wildcats only had to punt three times in the game, but senior Allen Robertson had two of those punts downed inside the 10-yard line, including a 38-yarder to the Vikings’ 7 with 1:06 left.

In addition to the punts, Robertson also booted all four of his kickoffs into the end zone, forcing North Meck drives to start at the 20 and keeping the ball out of the hands of return men Clyburn and Chris Thompson.

Only one of North Meck’s 10 possessions started beyond its own 22-yard line. Conversely, Lake Norman’s first three possessions started in North Meck territory, and all but one of the Wildcats’ started inside their own 35.

The worst field position of the game for the Wildcats resulted in a 17-play, 89-yard drive that gave the team a 14-0 lead with 35.5 seconds left before halftime. Of the 17 plays, the first play of the drive was a pass, and the final two plays were passes, including an Abercrombie to Nick White 19-yard scoring strike. The other 14 plays were runs.

Potential

The Vikings get back into action this Friday at West Charlotte, and things might look a little different for the team.

Clyburn’s potential has blossomed in the early part of the season, and was on full display against Lake Norman.

The talented receiver scored both Vikings touchdowns and also scored the team’s 2-point conversion, accounting for all 14 North Meck points last Friday.

He finished with six receptions for 86 yards and added 35 yards rushing.

This Friday, however, he might have company on the outside of the Vikings’ offense, where junior Rashaan Brown is expected to see his first action of the season.

If Brown performs well alongside Clyburn, Thompson, Garrison Dark and Jaylin Harvell as targets for quarterback Kelly Hall, it could be a difference-maker for the Vikings.