KEN KARRSON: No time for Meteors to mope

CALUMET CITY | The dour expressions and barely audible postgame comments spoke volumes.

This one hurt. A lot.

A year ago, a 21-18 loss would have been hailed as a pseudo victory, so out of reach were most of T.F. North's 2008 contests. Then again, last fall's Meteors probably would have never gotten so close.

Not after netting exactly zero yards in the first half and waiting until the last 32 seconds of the second quarter to collect their initial first down, as was the case Friday night against visiting Evergreen Park. A 14-0 deficit likely would have grown exponentially because heads would have been down and player confidence destroyed.

Of course, such an already-cashed-it-in attitude isn't going to fly when Tim Zasada's around. North's former head coach and current offensive coordinator, whose high-wattage personality could keep a narcoleptic awake, worked continuously to keep Meteors players on edge in a competitive sense.

And indeed, North refused to concede anything to the Mustangs. Not until quarterback Jeremiah Barnes was sacked with just a handful of seconds left could the Meteors be considered out of the hunt.

But then they were, and a four-game winning streak to begin the 2009 season was gone. Thus, a decent-sized homecoming crowd was sent away unhappy.

However, they weren't as crestfallen as the players, a group that included homecoming king Elijah Sofowora. While he admitted that "last year we would have gave up," the Meteors' refusal to do so here couldn't whitewash the pain of defeat.

"Coach (Artie Rogers) said, 'Don't get distracted,' but we had no intensity at all (in the first half)," Sofowora said.

That changed in the second half, as North narrowed the gap to 14-12 at one juncture, then countered an Evergreen touchdown pass with one of its own. But the Meteors couldn't overcome three botched extra points.

"We've got to become more consistent," Rogers said. "We played one half of football. Give Evergreen Park credit -- they played two halves."

Rogers appreciated his guys' refusal to cave in the face of adversity, but a larger question now looms: Did North squander its chance to return to the playoffs?

This game signaled the beginning of a brutal closing stretch. Next up for the Meteors is Oak Forest, followed by Lemont, T.F. South and Hillcrest.

Ironically, North's sister school may represent its best opportunity for a breakthrough. Five wins, though, only make the Meteors playoff eligible; six officially land them a tournament berth.

Can two victories be found in the last four games? In a year when upsets have popped up with some frequency across the state, absolutely, but it obviously won't be easy.

"There's no pressure at all," Sofowora insisted. "We just have to keep practicing hard every day. We didn't have good practices this week."

The king thought homecoming might have played a part in North's lack of readiness. Rogers agreed, although he put the blame on himself for not getting his players past whatever mental block might have existed.

But there's no time for blame and disappointment. More games still need to be won.

This column is solely the writer's opinion. Reach him at kenneth.karrson@nwi.com.