PINETOWN — The only thing the North Pitt and Northside football teams had in common Friday night were their mascots. After escaping a closely contested first quarter with the lead, the Panthers from Pinetown paraded a lack of ball security, broken plays and tissue paper defense over the final 36 minutes, as North Pitt cruised to a 46-16 victory.

The Northside faithful filled Bing Mitchell Stadium to its capacity, celebrating what was an extravagant homecoming celebration, hoping the home team could put an end to what’s been a turbulent three-game losing streak.

In a sloppy first quarter defined by holding calls, off sides penalties and personal fouls, a botched punt placed senior quarterback Tyron Warren and the North Pitt offense on the Northside 39-yard line. Four bruising runs from 5-foot-8 senior Del Wells resulted in the first of three touchdowns on the night for the opposing running back.

However, Northside is a first-half team, securing a lead in some form in each of its last three losses. Friday was no different. On what was likely the longest drive of the night, saturated in penalty yardage, quarterback Noel Howson notched a series of bootleg and option runs, the fourth of which he took 54 yards for a touchdown. A successful two-point conversion gave Northside its one and only lead of the contest.

“We got up 8-6 and from that point on, we really didn’t do anything great,” said head coach Keith Boyd.

The struggles began immediately out of the gate in the second quarter when Wells shook off three defenders and broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run. After the North Pitt defense forced a quick three-and-out on the ensuing drive, an Ethan Gurganus punt went just 20 yards, right into the hands of a North Pitt receiver, who took it 27-yards to the house.

On the next North Pitt possession, it was scat back Monte Foreman’s turn to tally yards in bunches. After three big runs from Foreman and a 15-yard push from Wells, Warren’s offense worked its way into the red zone and Foreman punched it in, bringing the score to 27-8 heading into the break.

Following another North Pitt touchdown to start the half, Northside scat back Kermani Slade showcased his speed and woke the crowd with a dynamic 71-yard touchdown run. That, however, would be the last piece of excitement for the Northside fans.

Three fumbles from Howson over the final 15 minutes of play kept North Pitt on the field, resulting in two more TDs.

“We’re going to go back and try again, but our execution wasn’t there on offense or defense tonight,” Boyd said. “Give them credit, they’re big and strong and pushed us around up front with their run game. Once they got ahead, all they had to do was run the clock.”

For North Pitt, Wells led all rushers with 154 yards and three touchdowns, while Foreman finished with 63-yards rushing on nine carries.

Northside’s top playmaker, senior Rockne Butler, ended with a season-low 31 yards on six carries.

Friday night marked the second-consecutive week Northside lined up against a Class 2-A opponent. What Boyd initially saw as a viable test of character and toughness for his teams seems to have taken a turn for the worse.

“It helps playing larger schools if you can battle through it and not shoot yourself in the foot,” he said. “We have to be strong enough to understand that no matter the size of the school, we need to continue to fight. Sometimes I question our fight.”

Senior Patrick Moore, one of Northside’s principal dual threats, left the game in the third with a pulled groin, but Boyd expects him to be ready for next week when the Panthers and Seahawks write another chapter to the 14-year-old cross-county rivalry.

“Southside is a great team and we need to find a way to rebound,” Boyd said. “It’s not only a county rival, but it’s our first conference game. We need to go back to the drawing board and get better in practice. Hopefully, these two 2-A games that we played will help us next Friday.”