A strong start, solid defense and a big special-teams play helped Wakeland beat McKinney North 17-14 on Thursday night at the Ford Center.

Wakeland jumped to a 7-0 lead on a 30-yard pass from Dylan Laible to Kevin Rychel in the first quarter, and in the second quarter, the Wolverines extended their lead to 10-0 on a 23-yard field goal by Trey Schlink.

After McKinney North trimmed Wakeland's lead to 10-7, the Wolverines' Charlie Burkhart returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown.

Leading 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter, Wakeland stopped McKinney North on fourth-and-2 at the Wakeland 25-yard line. Wakeland then ran out the clock by running the ball nine straight times and getting three first downs.

McKinney North had started the season 2-0 and was ranked No. 8 in the Dallas Morning News 5A area rankings. Wakeland improved its record to 2-1.