“It took overtime heroics for the Bainbridge Spartan football boys to steal the limelight away from the unwelcome main attraction of the game against North Mason Friday night. In a contest with more flags flying in the air than during the Olympic Games opening ceremonies, the Spartans captured a 14-13 overtime victory on their home turf. Contrary to the multitude of colors represented by the flags in Sydney last month, the flying cloths Friday night were all of one color – yellow. In fact, it was a questionable pass interference call against Bainbridge that set up the tying touchdown for North Mason near the end of regulation time and another interference call that nearly forced a second overtime. With the score knotted at 7-7 at the end of the fourth quarter, the two teams lined up for the Kansas City-style tiebreaker try. Each team was given a chance to drive to the end zone on four downs, starting from 25 yards out. Bainbridge took the ball first, and handed the ball to senior workhorse Clayton Wiggins (11 carries, 77 yards), who ran two times to bring the ball to the 3-yard line. Lance Mazey (19 carries, 76 yards) cut the distance in half on the next run up the gut, and Wiggins finished by sprinteing around the right end, untouched, into the end zone for the go-ahead score. Jeff Tracy split the uprights on his extra-point try to give Bainbridge the 14-7 lead, and the pressure rested on the Spartan defense to hold North Mason. The Bulldogs faltered on the first two plays, with an incomplete pass and a fumble that put the ball back to the 31-yard line. On third down and 16 yards to go, those untimely flags flew again as Bainbridge was tagged with yet another interference call. The receiver, however, caught the ball anyway, and North Mason found itself knocking on touchdown door at the 6-yard line. Justin Keehn pounded through the middle and into the endzone for the Bulldogs, and everybody in the Memorial Stadium grandstands started thinking about another overtime. Everybody, that is, except the Spartan extra-point defense special team. A slight hesitation by the North Mason kicker was all it took for Mazey to fly in from the left end of the Bulldog line, and smother the ball just as the kicker’s foot was about to send the game into a second overtime. Very happy to accept the win – just Bainbridge’s second this season and the fifth of his three-season coaching career – at face value, Bainbridge coach Andy Grimm said, nevertheless, that he felt the overtime could have been avoided. We let it be exciting, Grimm said, noting the numerous penalties and the mind set of the Spartan players. We knew it would be an evenly matched game, but we were hoping to play with the intensity from the week before. Bainbridge battled to a close loss against a tough Franklin Pierce team the previous Friday by a 49-35 score.We were flat, seemed to be self-destructing, Grimm said. Bainbridge came out fast, however, scoring on a five-yard run by Mazey midway through the first quarter. After that, the Spartans seemed stymied by a prolific propensity for pointless penalties. The halftime talk in the Bainbridge locker room, Grimm said, was one highlighted by several challenges offered by the Spartan coaching staff. It may have taken until that overtime drive with gutsy running by a sore and tired Wiggins and Mazey’s final block for the challenges to hit home. And Grimm is hoping those challenges, along with the enthusiasm that erupted at the end of the contest, will carry through to Friday night’s contest at top-tier Pierce County League rival White River. We want to get to that enthusiasm level (again), Grimm said. Well push that this week in practice. The White River Hornets fell to Lakes last Friday night, but are challenging near the top of the league with a fast, strong, balanced team. While the Spartans are out of the playoff picture, Grimm said the team is focusing on playing the role of disruptor in the league. It’s all about perseverance, Grimm said. If you keep with it … good things will happen. Junior quarterback Clayton Hallum, bouncing back from a near-concussive hit in the Franklin Pierce contest, finished the game completing 7 of 15 for 58 yards, while Tracy was the Spartans’ leading receiver with three catches totaling 33 yards. Defensively, the Spartans were led by junior linebacker P.J. Holton, with nine primary tackles and six-and-a-half assists. Also, Marc Rasmussen had seven primaries and two assists. Gary Duffner contributed a big quarterback sack for the Bainbridge defense, and front-line stalwart Chris Mandell had a fumble recovery.North Kitsap JV 6, Bainbridge JV 0: On a muddy, rain-soaked field, the Spartans lost just their second game of the season on a third-quarter turnover turned opposition touchdown Monday afternoon. Bainbridge (4-2-1) had a scoring opportunity in the first quarter, driving as far as North Kitsap’s 3-yard line before fumbling the ball away.It was actually a pretty well-played game between two very evenly matched teams out there, Bainbridge coach Mike Roe said.Bainbridge hosts Central Kitsap next Monday in a 5 p.m. contest. “