The Bryan football team wasn't good at finishing in the Crosstown Showdown, but coach Bob Bellard doesn't believe the Vikings are anywhere close to done.

Bryan took a lead into the fourth quarter, but could not hold on as A&M Consolidated rallied for a 43-33 victory at Kyle Field on Friday night. The Vikings (2-3, 1-1 District 12-5A) don't have long to fret over the defeat, with defending district champion Copperas Cove coming to Merrill Green Stadium this week.

"I think the strength of this ballclub is character and stick-with-it-ness," Bellard said. "We're going to be able to be in some games offensively. We're going to have to improve some technique issues and get better defensively.

"We're competitive. We've got to learn to close better."

The Viking offense started fast by scoring on its first four possessions. Bryan also responded with a touchdown after trailing for the first time in the third quarter. However, the next two possessions ended with the Vikes' only punts of the game, eventually giving Consol the field position it needed to score a touchdown that extended the lead to 43-33.

"We missed on two key passes that would have got us out of our end," Bellard said. "Field position dictated a lot. We were a long way from home in the fourth quarter."

Bryan's defense struggled to stop Consol's blend of outside speed and inside power, allowing the Tigers to run for 395 yards.

"Despite not stopping them much, I thought we played hard defensively all the way through," Bellard said. "We didn't play well sometimes, but we were playing hard."

Safety Johnnie Goosby continued to pile up tackles against district opponents, recording 18 tackles for the second consecutive game. Goosby also returned an interception 28 yards to set up a Bryan touchdown.

"Johnnie was all over the field," Bellard said. "He's had two good games in district."

The Vikings also got good efforts from quarterback Kesnick Taylor and running back Nate Jones. Taylor completed 8 of 14 passes for 120 yards, and his total of 32 yards rushing came despite losing 32 yards in sacks. Jones rushed for a game-high 154 yards and scored four touchdowns.

"Kesnick Taylor did a really nice job on a lot of things, both running the option and throwing the football," Bellard said.