CLARKSDALE — The Charleston High School Tigers came up short in their bid to earn a state championship game berth.
In a fiercely contested defensive struggle Friday night, Charleston dropped a 14-6 decision to the North Side Gators, finishing as the Class 2A North runner-up.
Charleston ends the season 10-5 while North Side, of Shelby, improves to 14-0 on the campaign.
Twelve of the game's 20 total points were scored on defensive interception returns — one by each team.
North Side scored at 7:06 in the first quarter on a 42-yard pass play, then tacked on the two-point conversion on a run to go up 8-0.
That score carried through the half and deep into the third quarter before Charleston's A.J. Wren scored a pick-six on a 30-yard defensive play with 3:44 in the third quarter. The conversion run failed, and CHS trailed 8-6.
That 2-point margin held until 8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, when North Side basically sealed the win with a 32-yard interception return for a score.
The closely fought defensive nature of the game was evidenced by the near mirror image of the two teams in total offensive yardage, with North Side holding a 173-172 edge.
North Side ran 50 offensive plays and Charleston 56.
This story will be updated.
