The North Mustangs defeated the Central High Bobcats 32-26 in an overtime thriller Friday night.

North's Dominic Fiorucci ran in a 10-yard score to seal the deal in overtime.  The offense of the Mustangs was run-heavy, accumulating more than 160 yards on the ground.

North quarterback Juan Conley pitched in with 65 rushing yards and added two rushing touchdowns, and Juan Conley for North had two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter at quarterback. 

The Mustang improved to 4-5 with one game remaining, against the Maryvale Panthers, next Friday.

“It was really big for us,” said North head coach Bernie Busken of the win. “We challenged our kids to play as hard as they could play and they did a great job,”

The loss dropped Central to 5-4.

The Bobcats were on an impressive five-game win streak, scoring more than 40 points in all but one of those games.

Central head coach Jon Clanton said clock management was a big factor in the loss.

“The problem was, we would score real fast and they would drive the clock out,” he said. “It was a smart game by them. We just couldn’t stop them.”

He also said his players may not have taken North seriously.

“I think we thought we were just going to show up and win the game,” Clanton said.

Roger Hernandez contributed with more than 60 receiving yards and three touchdowns for the Bobcats.

His biggest play came after quarterback Rico Davis left the game with an injury.

“Every time Rico (Davis) goes down, we kind of lose a passing option,” Hernandez said of his teammate.

Hernandez stepped in at quarterback and immediately broke off a 35-yard touchdown run to give the Bobcats a 7-6 lead.

“Every time I go in, I try to motivate them and tell them they still have a leader on the field,” he said.

Davis did return and finished the game at quarterback for the Bobcats.

The North defense was key in the victory, Busken said.

“Our defense played great,” he said. “I don’t think we tackled good all night, but we played hard in overtime and won the game.”

On the first possession of overtime, Central’s Terry Gardner caught two touchdown passes from Rico Davis, but both were called back. On the first, he was ruled out of bounds.

The second time, he was called for offensive pass interference.

Both Central and North sit a 2-2 in section play, behind Cesar Chavez’s 4-0 section record and 3-1 Alhambra. Alhambra now boasts the best record in the Metro at 6-3.