North Vikings bask in first football win in nearly three years: 'The kids came together'

As North football coach Doug Miller loaded equipment into his car Friday night and drove it from Wickliffe to Akron, he knew his players were on a blissful bus ride they would not soon forget.

“Most of the coaches drove back on the bus with the kids, and they said it was one of the coolest experiences they had as a coach to see how happy the kids were,” Miller said Saturday night by phone. “They were giving each other fake interviews about the game. They were definitely soaking in all that joy.”

Junior Bernard Jackson's safety in the fourth quarter allowed North to prevail 8-7 over host Wickliffe and snap a 21-game losing streak.

The Vikings hadn't tasted victory since Oct. 4, 2019, when they defeated Firestone 19-18. North finished the 2019 season with one triumph after going winless from 2015-18.

In other words, this was not only the Vikings' first victory in nearly three years, but also just their second win in almost eight years.

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North is now 1-1 under first-year head coach Miller with a road game Friday night against Cuyahoga Falls (0-2) next on the schedule.

After last week's game, Miller and some of his assistant coaches gathered at North Hill Gameday Grille to play euchre and celebrate the win over Wickliffe (1-1).

From Friday night to Saturday morning, Miller received about 120 text messages and 40 to 50 social media messages congratulating him.

“Of course, my mom called [Saturday] morning to say she was super proud,” Miller said. “It was cool to see how many people are rooting not just for me but for everybody on the team, too.”

Miller is trying to help the Vikings overcome years of losing and low player participation, plus the tragedy the program endured last year.

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Miller's coaching predecessor at North, Sonil Haslam, died suddenly on Nov. 2, 2021, at the age of 46.

“It was amazing to see how excited the kids were [after the win] and just to see the smiles on their faces and the emotions that they went through,” Miller said. “A lot of gratitude. They were so happy, and a lot of them were saying, 'This one's for Has,' and a lot of the [assistant] coaches who coached with Has were saying the same thing.

“It was a huge relief off everybody's shoulders [to win], and I think that's going to help us continue turning that corner of this program that was started by Coach Has.”

Haslam guided North for the past six seasons. Although the Vikings won just one game during his tenure, he established a reputation in the City Series as a respected mentor for his players.

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Jackson didn't play for Haslam. This is his first season at North after transferring from Cleveland Heights. Yet hearing about Haslam's legacy from some of his new North teammates and assistant coaches has provided inspiration.

“I said to myself when I was on the bus [on the way to Wickliffe], 'I've got to play hard for him, even though I don't know him,'” Jackson, a defensive end, guard and punter, said during a phone interview. “He was a great coach. [I want to] play hard for all my coaches.”

Despite dealing with pain in one of his feet, Jackson continued to play hard in crunch time. When the ball was snapped over the head of Wickliffe's punter, Jackson pursued and tackled the punter in the end zone after he had picked up the ball.

“All my coaches on the sideline were jumping around happy to see that,” Jackson said. “I didn't honestly think I was going to make the tackle. I thought I was going to miss it, but [after] I felt his body hit my body and hit the ground, I saw all my teammates run toward me.

“This is my second year in football, and this was always a dream. I always had a dream to start and never get off the field and make plays that help my team win. My dreams came true.”

North's eight points in victory over Wickliffe were scored on special teams

Jackson's clutch play turned out to be a game-winning safety after the Vikings defense did its part to seal the win.

North had just 27 players dress for the game, Miller said, adding two of the team's better players weren't available because one was sick and the other hadn't shown up to practice all week.

“The kids came together really well in that game and were able to win that game as a team and not as a bunch of individuals,” Miller said.

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Senior Darrin Jenkins returned the game's opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to give North a 6-0 lead.

“He found an edge to the far side and got up field. Great play on his part,” Miller said. “He put on the burners, and he was gone.”

But the Vikings don't have a kicker, and a penalty contributed to an unsuccessful 2-point attempt.

Then on the ensuing series, Wickliffe produced a touchdown drive and made the extra point for a 7-6 lead in the first quarter.

“At halftime, the kids knowing it was a one-point game were ecstatic,” Miller said. “[They were saying], 'Coach, we're playing better than we've ever played. We're competing.' I said, 'That's good. Let's go finish it. Let's win. Let's get these winning habits we've been building, and let's finally turn them into a win.'

“A lot of that's not quitting and not arguing with each other, just doing your job and playing ball. It was really cool to see them come together throughout the next two quarters, especially defensively. Offensively, we started moving the ball well. We were just kind of sputtering out as we got into the red zone, which we're going to fix hopefully this week.”

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In the end, special teams made the difference. A snap went awry, and Jackson's hustle made a safety, historic win and joyous journey home possible.

“We were hyped,” Jackson said. “Everybody was loving each other. I just like to see my teammates happy and say we won a game. This was our first win in three years. That's crazy.”

Now the Vikings can strive for what would be another wild milestone — multiple wins in the same season for the first time since 2014.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron North Vikings celebrate first football win in 3 years