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The North Middle School Gators lost to the Warren County Pioneers 48-30 on the road Tuesday for their fifth loss of the season.

The Gators fell behind by a decent amount early in the contest and weren’t able to bounce back as they closed out their regular season with a defeat.

North head football coach Chuck Reed said that his team continued its struggles with tackling, and he pointed to linebacker play as a primary issue in that department.

The Pioneers scored the first 26 points of the game to put the Gators in a significant hole early.

Easton Brandon was able to break free for a long rushing touchdown to get the Gators on the board before the halftime break.

North trailed 26-8 at halftime.

The teams were even in their scoring throughout the second half with three touchdowns on each side.

Brandon got a second rushing touchdown for the day in the second half, and North quarterback Colson Kelley connected with Mason Isbell on a scoring pass.

Logan Polkinghorn added a rushing touchdown to round out the overall scoring for the Gators.

However, the Gators weren’t able to make up any ground as the final deficit settled at 18 points.

With the loss, the Gators moved to 1-5 on the season.

They will next play Tuesday at home against E.O. Coffman Middle School in a Central Tennessee Conference bowl game. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.