As Auburn Mountainview coach Jared Gervais walked off the field at Federal Way Memorial Stadium, he reflected on a pair of crucial rulings.

Perhaps if either went in the Lions’ favor, they might not have been saddled with a 10-3 loss Thursday night against Todd Beamer in a North Puget Sound League 4A Olympic Division game.

The first came on third-and-goal at the Titans’ 7-yard line when quarterback Talan Alfrey was hit late out of bounds. The scoreboard – and the chain crew – reflected the penalty resulted in a first down.

Just not the officials.

After conferring, they ruled that it was a dead-ball foul. That left Auburn Mountainview with just one more play.

“I wish that was a live-ball foul because that would’ve been a first down,” Gervais said. “Instead, it was a dead-ball foul because it was out of bounds. You’d think they wouldn’t (make that distinction), especially when it’s one step out of bounds.”

With Alfrey injured, freshman Drew Davenport was forced into the game. He handed off to running back Bitner Wilson, who was stopped near the goal line by defensive lineman Alexx Schmidt.

“I thought he was over (the goal line), but I always think my guys are over,” Gervais said.

Those plays were not the only issues for the Lions (4-3 overall, 4-1 Olympic). The game was tied, 3-all, during the third quarter when defensive end Noah Delaney recovered a fumbled exchange between Alfrey and Wilson that gave the Titans possession at Auburn Mountainview’s 17. Five plays later, Vann scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 5-yard run that also gave Todd Beamer (6-1, 5-0) sole possession of first place in the Olympic.

“You make a few mistakes and they’re going to capitalize on them,” said Gervais, whose team saw its four-game winning streak end.

Every point scored during the game came off a turnover as both teams played through a persistent downpour.

“I think it maybe caused a few mistakes here and there, but that’s not an excuse,” Gervais said. “We’ve got lots of towels and we keep the balls dry.”

Despite that, the Lions struggled to capitalize on their opportunities. On their first possession, they drove to the Titans’ 1 before turning the ball over on downs. Auburn Mountainview regained possession one play later, but was forced to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Carlos Huizar.

“I think we wish we executed a little better,” Gervais said. “We let things get in our head a little bit and maybe didn’t finish exactly the way we would’ve liked.”

Todd Beamer also struggled offensively, but was able to take advantage of defensive back Jayshayn Ware’s interception later in the first quarter, which he returned to the Lions’ 19. Four plays later, Dylan Alley tied the game on a 36-yard field goal.

The weather and playing style fit right into Darren McKay’s plans. McKay, who built Gig Harbor into a regular contender in the Narrows League before he took the Titans’ coaching position in 2012, noted that the Lions were averaging about 27 points per game entering the contest.

“Whatever a team is averaging coming – that’s not what they’re going to get,” said McKay, whose team has limited its opponents to 10 points combined during their last three games.

Wilson had a game-high 138 yards on 26 carries, but 63 of those hashes came on his first carry. And McKay said his team’s defensive preparation focused on another player.

“Our biggest concern was the quarterback,” he said. “He’s a really good athlete.”

Alfrey said he suffered a stinger on the personal foul, but expects to play when his team hosts Decatur on Thursday.

“We’ll stay focused, bounce back and get the win next week,” he said. “We’ll watch it on film and learn from it.”