MACKAY - North Gem dropped a 30-22 decision at Mackay on Friday, but Cowboys coach Kevin Carey was nonetheless pleased at his team's effort.

"We played really, really hard," Carey said. "Mackay's a tough team. They always are. We played them as good as we've ever played them."

North Gem quarterback Austin Wuttke passed for 192 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. Wuttke and Tyler McLain, who had 132 receiving yards, connected on their second touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter, but North Gem couldn't recover the ensuing onside kick.

North Gem (5-3) next travels to play Dietrich next week. The Cowboys have already clinced a spot in the 1A playoffs and will either be the third or fourth seed, depending on its result against Dietrich.