The Vikings (1-5 overall, 0-2 I-Meck) jumped out to an early 28-7 lead behind four Terrence Clyburn touchdowns only to watch a win slip away with a second half push from the Lions that led to the tying score with just 22 seconds remaining in the game.
An unproductive Viking overtime possession allowed a game-winning 19-yard field goal by
West Charlotte kicker Quyen Kpa.
“We had a few plays where we didn’t get the breaks down the stretch,” North Meck coach Mike Bradley said. “They got a little momentum there.”
Clyburn got the Vikings off to a good start, returning the opening kickoff 86 yards for a score,
giving the Vikings a 6-0 lead just 14 seconds in after a failed extra point.
The Lions (3-3, 2-0) answered with a quick score of their own to push ahead 7-6; however, the rest of the half belonged to Clyburn. Quarterback Kelly Hall hit Clyburn for a 25-yard touchdown pass, regaining the lead for the Vikings, 14-7, after Clyburn punched in the two-point conversion.
Clyburn later completed scoring runs of 1 and 12 yards to put the Vikings firmly in control at
28-7 with three minutes remaining in the second quarter.
But West Charlotte received a glimmer of hope when quarterback T.J. Mixson hit Qaivs Moore
for a 15-yard touchdown with 38 seconds remaining in the half to cut the Viking lead to 14 at the break. It was the beginning of 24 unanswered Lion points.
With the Lions potentially riding the momentum into the second half, the Vikings turned to the
run game to control the clock, with Clyburn getting four or more consecutive carries multiple
times.
“We tried to control the football a little bit more with our wildcat (formation),” Bradley said. “We just felt like our best chance was to try to run the ball.”
The strategy paid off for a while, but Mixson had touchdown runs of 1 and 9 yards to tie the
game.
The Vikings continued to run Clyburn out of the wildcat in overtime, but the West Charlotte
defense produced three stops before forcing an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal from the 6, setting the stage for Kpa’s winner.
Clyburn doing it all
Clyburn continued his scintillating form against West Charlotte, racking up 177 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. And he again showed his versatility.
Against the Lions, Clyburn reached the end zone on a kickoff return, a reception and on two
rushes. In addition, Clyburn punched in a pair of two-point conversions, giving him all of the Vikings 28 points. He has scored 11 of North’s 16 touchdowns this year, including all seven in the past three games.
A defining game
The Vikings were undone by giving up late scores in both halves that gave all the momentum to the Lions in the second half and overtime. Unfortunately for North, it wasn’t the first time.
Something similar happened against Lake Norman, when the Wildcats used a late first-half score to extend their lead in a 21-14 win.
“It’s the story of our season,” Bradley said. “There’s not much you can say.”
But Bradley is confident his Vikings will be ready to play Friday against a Hough team that also lost a heartbreaker last week.
“I think our kids will be resilient and bounce back,” he said.
PATs
Clyburn’s performances are not strictly reduced to offense. He also had a vital third quarter
interception in the Viking end zone. ... Viking D.J. Williams had a first quarter interception. ... A fumble recovery by Viking Joel Brown set up one Clyburn touchdown. ... Viking Chris Dickerson posted a 7-yard sack in the fourth quarter, the Vikings’ only sack of the night. ... North wide receiver Rashaan Brown caught three passes for 46 yards.
