NORTH BEND – Siuslaw coach Tim Dodson will tell you that the outcome of a football game can turn on one or two plays, even in a blowout.

Friday night, North Bend won its Far West League showdown with Siuslaw, 33-27.

It could have been a blowout for the Bulldogs. Then again, it could have been the Vikings' game, if only ...

1. Daniel Ferenczi had not bolted 67 yards for a touchdown on the second play from scrimmage in the game.

North Bend took a 7-0 lead 44 seconds into a game it would win by six.

2. Pass interference had not been called against Siuslaw to extend a North Bend drive late in the third quarter.

North Bend would eventually finish off the 16-play, 83-yard drive by scoring a touchdown on fourth down from the Siuslaw 8, putting the Bulldogs up 30-20.

3. Reliable senior placekicker Kenneth Thrall had converted on a 27-yard field-goal attempt midway through the fourth quarter.

North Bend took the ball the other way, and senior kicker Ian Bream hit from 38 yards out to put the Bulldogs up 33-20.

But those "if onlys" hardly mattered in a game dominated by the Bulldogs' bigger lines. North Bend would average seven yards a carry, with 50 carries in the game for 350 yards and four rushing touchdowns.

"It was a smart game plan, running the ball," Dodson said. "They got back to what good football is, and they did a nice job."

North Bend passed only five times, completing two for 13 yards. By contrast, Siuslaw senior quarterback Preston Mitchell had season highs for pass attempts (28), completions (18) and yards (179).

Mitchell directed the Vikings on three scoring drives in the first half as Siuslaw was in front 14-7 after the first quarter and 20-17 at halftime.

North Bend buckled down after intermission, stuffing Siuslaw's opening series, then marching 53 yards in seven plays for a 23-17 lead at 7:51 of the third quarter. The Bulldogs never trailed again.

"They're good, they're really good," Dodson said. "We were close, we were close in the fourth quarter, and we just couldn't shut it down. It's not like we didn't try."

The victory moved the defending league champions into first place in the Far West League. Marshfield is second place at 1-0. Siuslaw and South Umpqua share third place at 1-1, while Douglas is fifth at 0-1 and Brookings-Harbor sixth and last at 0-2.

Siuslaw hosts Marshfield at 7 p.m. next Friday at Hans Petersen Field. Marshfield's game with Douglas on Friday night originally was ruled a forfeit by the Oregon School Activities Association. The OSAA later reversed its ruling and called the game a cancelation.

A win against the Pirates would keep alive the Vikings' hopes for a league title and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

A loss would not dash Siuslaw's playoff hopes, not with just Douglas and Brookings-Harbor left on the schedule. But it might leave the Vikings hoping for at best a home date in a play-in game to the 4A state playoffs.

"We'll cross that bridge when we cross that bridge," Dodson said. "We needed to take care of tonight, and we didn't."

The Bulldogs' ground game had concerned him enough that he made a point of it earlier in the day, during the weekly meeting of the Quarterback Club. It was a meeting attended by all 11 Vikings seniors.

"It was absolutely my concern," Dodson said. "They wanted to run the football, and they did."

Ferenczi finished with 187 yards and two rushing touchdowns, while quarterback Brody Lucero had 98 yards and TD rushes of 4 and 12 yards.

"We definitely missed several opportunities to put the game away," Vikings senior lineman Dylan Jennings said. "It happens every week. This time it cost us the game."

Jennings, one of the bigger Vikings at 6-foot, 265 pounds, was tasked with taking on 6-foot-2, 280-pound senior Joe Rutheford, who was first-team all-state in 2014 on both offense and defense.

"I felt like I gave him a pretty good run for his money, most of the time," Jennings said. "That's as much as he can expect. He was good."

And he wasn't alone. Juniors Max Freeman (6-foot, 270), Austin Miller (6-1, 210) and Zach Schneider (6-1, 250) were among those building a big wall on both sides of the ball.

"Their front was as advertised," senior running back-linebacker Kenneth Thrall said. "They're going to be good. We just didn't execute. I missed a tackle (on a North Bend TD run). I missed a field goal, and an extra point.

"We've got to keep pushing on. We know Marshfield's going to be good. But we have 'em at home, and we always play good at home. We'll see."

Siuslaw trailed by only three, 23-20, to start the fourth quarter, but Ferenczi capped an 83-yard drive with an 8-yard TD run with 10:55 to play as North Bend extended its lead to 30-20.

Thrall could have brought the Vikings within a score on their next drive, but missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt at the 7:52 mark.

"I knew I pushed it as soon as I hit it," he said. "I'm going to be thinking about that kick for a long time."

Taking over on its own 20, North Bend ran more than five minutes off the clock before Bream connected on a 38-yard field goal for a 33-20 Bulldogs' lead with 2:46 to play.

Mitchell followed by leading the Vikings on a 63-yard, 12-play drive that ended with a 21-yard touchdown pass to 6-foot-6 sophomore Trent Reavis with 33 seconds to play.

Thrall's onside kick was recovered by the Bulldogs, who took a knee on the next play to run out the clock.

The Vikings stayed in the game with some sharp drives of their own in the first half.

Mitchell took them 62 yards in seven plays on their first possession of the game, the big play a 29-yard pass to Reese Siegel and the touchdown a 7-yard pass to Scott Gordon.

Thrall's PAT made it 7-7.

The Vikings forced a three-and-out on the Bulldogs' next series, then took 10 plays to go 48 yards, the last 4 resulting in a TD run by Thrall with 1:44 left in the first quarter. His PAT gave Siuslaw a 14-7 lead.

North Bend went ahead 17-14 on a Bream field goal, at 8:59 of the second quarter, and Lucero's 12-yard keeper at 6:17.

Siuslaw seized the halftime lead at 20-17 on a 5-yard Mitchell-to-Siegel TD pass 23 seconds before halftime. The extra-point attempt failed, the product of a bad snap.

"Honestly, this is the best we've played North Bend in the four years I've been here," Jennings said. "So we have to feel good about that.

"We've got Marshfield next, and we've got to try again real hard. We're going to practice real hard, and get after it."

And believe that those one or two plays go their way next time.

NOTES: The Siuslaw team's afterglow was a bit muted following the first loss of the season, and the events of the week. "Our world is crazy, scary crazy," coach Tim Dodson told them. "What a blessing it is to play football, to forget about the world for three hours ... Appreciate being together, being a group, and caring about each other. That's what sports is all about." ... The Vikings committed no turnovers and were penalized just twice, for 20 yards. ... junior transfer Justin Perkins suited up for the first time, wearing No. 75. ... North Bend had a 48-player varsity roster, Siuslaw 22 players ... North Bend reportedly has the enrollment needed to move up to 5A as early as next year ... Douglas forfeited to Marshfield and Glide to Harrisburg in the wake of Thursday's tragic events at South Umpqua Community College ... Harrisburg, a 3A school, beat Marshfield 18-15 Friday night in a hastily organized fill-in game in Coos Bay. ... 6-foot-6 sophomore Trent Reavis, the Vikings' backup quarterback, had two catches for 30 yards, including one for 21 yards and a TD ... senior wide receiver Scott Gordon has 36 receptions for 385 yards and four TDs in five games this season. ... North Bend won for the fourth straight time to even the decade-long series at 5-5 ... Wide receiver-defensive back Evan Teter, a sophomore, figures to have two more shots at besting the Bulldogs. "They're a little bit bigger than normal," he said after the game. "But you've got to be able to adjust and just keep on going and not worry about what their size is." ...

OFFICIAL GAME STATISTICS BY JO DE AND BOB HYLTON

Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 at Vic Adams Field, North Bend

SCORING SUMMARY

SIUSLAW             14        6      0         7      —      27

NORTH BEND       7      10      6       10      —      33

First Quarter
North Bend — Daniel Ferenzi 67-yard run (Ian Bream kick), 11:16
Siuslaw — Scott Gordon 7-yard pass from Preston Mitchell (Kenneth Thrall kick), 7:55
Siuslaw — Kenneth Thrall 4-yard run (Kenneth Thrall kick), 1:44

Second Quarter
North Bend — FG Ian Bream 31 yards, 8:59
North Bend — Brody Lucero 12-yard run (Ian Bream kick), 6:17
Siuslaw — Reese Siegel 5-yard pass from Preston Mitchell (kick failed), :23

Third Quarter
North Bend — Brody Lucero 4-yard run (kick failed), 7:51

Fourth Quarter
North Bend — Daniel Ferenzi 8-yard run (Ian Bream kick), 10:55
North Bend — FG Ian Bream 38 yards, 2:46
Siuslaw — Trent Reavis 21-yard pass from Preston Mitchell (Kenneth Thrall kick), :33

TEAM STATISTICS
                                Siuslaw   North Bend
First downs                         14          17
Yards gained rushing          137         362
Yards lost rushing                11          12
Plays-net yards rushing   37-126          50-350
Passing yards                     179          13
Total yards                        305          363
Passing                      18-28-0         2-5-0
Punts-yards-ave.       3-97-32.3       1-17-17.0
Fumbles-lost                      0-0         2-1
Penalties-yards                2-20        5-45

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING
Siuslaw—Kenneth Thrall 19-84, Preston Mitchell 15-41, Nick Steinman 2-3, Scott Gordon 1-(minus 2).
North Bend—Daniel Ferenczi 19-187, Brody Lucero 22-98, Michael Hannah 7-56, Dakota Moore 1-5, Caleb Buck 1-2.

PASSING
Siuslaw—Preston Mitchell 18-28-0—179.
North Bend—Brody Lucero 2-5-0—13.

RECEIVING
Siuslaw—Scott Gordon 10-104, Reese Siegel 2-34, Trent Reavis 2-30, Evan Teter 3-11, Brogan Cornish 1-0.
North Bend—Drae Stark 2-13.