There is a recurring theme plaguing the Northern Nash football team at the end of games. A close call here, a fumble there and then there was Friday night against Tarboro.

The play, with just 12 seconds remaining on the scoreboard, started as a harmless punt that most likely would have sent the game to overtime, but a snap over the head of punter Jamarl Davis sailed out of the back of the endzone for a safety. The play could have been stopped — a Tarboro defender appeared to jump offsides — but the call was not made, and the Vikings escaped Northern Nash with a 9-7 win.

“It’s more than disappointing,” Northern Nash coach Mickey Crouch said. “Something like this always seems to happen. Our kids have to be mentally tough to go through what they’ve been through, but we’re going to come back and play just as hard as we did this week.”

Northern Nash (1-2) struck first, after the Knights blocked a Tarboro punt and recovered the ball on the Vikings’ 5-yard-line. The Knights scored on the next play on a 5-yard run by T.J. Marshall.

The Vikings (3-0) answered late in the second quarter when their defense forced a Knights turnover on the Northern Nash 11-yard line.

Senior running back Chris Lane punched the ball in from six yards out two plays later, and the score remained tied until the game’s next-to-last play.

Tarboro coach Jeff Craddock wasn’t exactly pleased with his team’s overall play, but Craddock said he was thankful for the victory.

“We got out of here with a victory (Friday), and that’s most important,” Tarboro coach Jeff Craddock said. “I don’t say it often, but it seemed like Northern Nash wanted this game a little bit more than we did. They were focused on this game, and they’ve improved tremendously over the past few years. The good news is, we made enough plays to win the game.”

The biggest play was Lane’s improvised run on 4th-and-9 on the Vikings’ own 24-yard-line. Lane, Tarboro’s punter, scrambled to his right, broke a few tackles and gained 11 yards. Tarboro’s offense continued to march down the field and take precious time off the clock, and it looked as though the Vikings would take the lead on a late touchdown.

But Northern Nash’s defense held the Vikings from gaining three yards in four plays, which gave the Knights the ball deep in their own territory with less than 30 seconds remaining in the contest.

“Obviously, that play by Chris (Lane) was a huge deal with field position,” Craddock said. “Our punt team had hurt us previously. It was just a gift. He happened to make an incredible individual play, but we should have been able to punch the ball in from the 3-yard line. We’ll have to take a big look at that.”

Offense and special teams will be another key focus for Craddock in the key weeks after being outgained by Northern Nash, 175-156.

“I can’t remember the last time when we didn’t execute like this on offense or special teams,” Craddock said. “It was embarrassing. But again, on a night when everything seemed like it wasn’t going to be our night, we found a way to win.”

Tarboro 9

Northern Nash 7

T 0 7 0 2 — 9

NN 7 0 0 0 — 7

First Quarter

NN — Jamarl Davis 5 run (Dylan Hodges kick), 2:22

Second Quarter

T — Chris Lane 6 run (Armando Gonzalez kick), 3:10

Fourth Quarter

T — Safety, 0:08

Te_SRitNN

9First downs................9

41—148Rushes-yards....38—102

8Passing yards...........73

1—3—0Passes..............6—9—1

156Total offense...........175

2—1Fumbles-Lost...........1—1

4—20Penalties-Yards....6—41

Individual Statistics

Rushing — T: Todd Gurley 10-59; Chris Lane 10-46; Jamias Williams 6-5; Markel Howell 8-29; Ricky Dozier 5-9; Kendall Jacobs 2-0; NN: T.J. Marshall 9-49; Tevin Marshall 12-26; Tavis Richardson 8-23; Caleb Hurlebus 1-(-5); Jamarl Davis 5-6; Darrius Perry 3-3.

Passing — T: LaMichael Everette 1-3-0 8 yards; NN: Richardson 6-9-0 73 yards.

Receiving — T: Howell 1-6; NN: Mitch Wells 4-56; Hurlebus 1-5; Tevin Hamilton 1-13.

Trevor Seibert can be reached at 407-9952 or tseibert@rmtelegram.com