PUYALLUP — Under a half-water, half-air night sky, a defensive game played out on the turf of Sparks Stadium. Air traffic was all but shut down for the night as the sideways rain provided a less-than passer friendly environment Saturday night.

Pre-game shenanigans featured dueling pep bands and dueling Vikings as the mascots went toe-to-toe midfield after the teams had headed into the locker rooms.

When both the Vikings’ squads hit the field for the game, Puyallup opened with a rash of penalties that stayed with them all game. From the first illegal procedure, they were plagued with penalties.

North followed with their own troubles in the form of a three-and-out offensive series, after QB Paul Stock was sacked on third down.

Stock came back on defense to help combat a solid Puyallup running game, which featured Nick Stradle. NK’s defense stayed tight, but Puyallup managed a field goal to lead at the end of the first quarter, 3-0.

“In spite of giving them great field position, our guys held,” NK coach Steve Frease said of his defense.

The cool wetness of the night combined to make the ball very slippery, and North couldn’t seem to find the handle. A fumbled handoff gave Puyallup the ball inside North’s red zone. Luckily for NK, a Puyallup fumble gave the ball back a few plays later.

After repeating shut down series, North was forced to punt once again. Only this time Puyallup busted through for the block; and Rick Bostwick grabbed the ball and dove into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. Another North fumble gave Puyallup the ball, but another Puyallup penalty erased a Stradle touchdown. The Puyallup Vikes settled for a field goal; 13-0 to start the second.

Through a hard-hitting second quarter the wind started to pick up right in the face of Puyallup’s drive. NK had the luxury of the wind at its back, but a penalty forced fourth and 25 and another punt with just over a minute left in the half.

Stradle returned the punt to the NK 30, then took the ball to the 4-yard line on a sweep. The next play went up the gut for a touchdown, striking up the Puyallup pep band and striking down North spirits. At halftime, Puyallup led 20-0.

North struggled offensively. With 60 total yards on the ground, they didn’t reach Puyallup territory until a fumble landed North at the Vikings’ 38. However, they couldn’t manage any first downs.

Jeff Ottele led the defense throughout the night (nine tackles), and came out tough to start the second half. But Puyallup’s second-string back Ricky Cooper was too fast for one man.

The Puyallup front methodically pushed past the North defense, and plowed the way for Cooper to score the first of two second-half touchdowns to pad the Puyallup lead.

On a high note for North, Ottele blocked the extra-point attempt following Cooper’s touchdown.

NK’s faithful remained in the stands, still craving a Viking drive, but hopes were extinguished by another three-and-out.

At the final buzzer, Puyallup ended with a 33-0 victory, and NK ended by leading its fans in singing the school fight song. The Vikings left the field with applause in their ears and heads held high.

“Our kids competed,” Frease said. “And more than anything, I am proud of that. When we started, we had a bunch of individuals and we ended as a team. There weren’t many dry eyes in the locker room after the game.”

To Frease that is a positive as it shows how deep each player bought into the team. It showed emotional dedication and marked the end of the line for the 21 North seniors.