NORTHERN CAMBRIA — Entering the heart of the season, Northern Cambria was looking to move a step closer to the top of the Heritage Conference on Friday night.

Instead, it was the Blairsville Bobcats that took that step with an exciting 42-28 win over the Colts.

Despite outstanding performances on both sides of the ball by conference-leading rusher Andy Paronish and fullback Isaac Lieb, the Colts dropped to 2-2 while the Bobcats, paced by the 240-yard, three-touchdown aerial assault of Justin McGinnis, improved to 3-1 in the conference.

Colts coach Paul Taranto said before the game that he recognized the importance of the contest.

“This game is very important,” he said. “This is a game that will definitely help separate the top from the bottom.”

The Bobcats scored first, with McGinnis connecting on a 46-yard strike to Mario McFarlin on the game’s first play to take the ball to the Colt 13. Four plays later, McGinnis called his own number from the 1 to open the scoring.

Lieb produced the first Colts points by returning a McGinnis interception 25 yards to tie the game.

After Zach Faith’s 1-yard touchdown, Paronish tied the score with the first of two scoring runs, this one a 42-yarder. He then added one of his three conversions. All told, Paronish had 177 yards that included an additional touchdown run of 63 yards and an interception.

“I was still very disappointed in the loss,” Paronish said. “It’s not about individual numbers. I felt I played a good game, but I wish we would have won. We all think of the team first.”

Paronish could have done even more damage, but his 55-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter, which would have tied the game, was called back on a penalty.

“It was a heart-breaking call,” Taranto said about the penalty. “A great play like that called back because of a penalty on a guy that had no bearing on the play. But it was the right call.”

With the back-and-forth nature of the game, the penalty was even more significant, as it allowed the Bobcats to take a 14-point lead on their opening drive of the second half when McGinnis connected with McFarlin on a 25-yard pass.

The drive had almost stalled when the referees initially indicated that the Colts had recovered a fumble at the Blairsville 43-yard-line. The officials then reversed their call and awarded the ball to the Bobcats, ruling “joint possession” of the ball.

“It’s tough,” Taranto said. “They’re playing hard and then to lose a turnover like that has an effect. But they had a couple of 14-point leads and our team battled right back.”

Taranto said the real turning point of the game occurred in the fourth quarter after Paronish’s second touchdown run, when McGinnis connected with Jonathan Santoro on a 57-yard pass that set up a 5-yard touchdown pass to Corey Molitor.

“They’re a good ball team and they put up points almost before they realize it,” Taranto said.

Lieb made up the remainder of the Colts offense, gaining 72 yards and scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run that brought the score to 28-20.

Bobcats coach Ab Dettorre said the first second-half touchdown was important, but he was disappointed at some untimely let-ups by his defense, particularly trying to corral Paronish.

“That was most disappointing,” he said. “We’ve had that problem a couple of times this year. That’s something we have to correct because it doesn’t get any easier.”

Taranto said his team also needs to learn discipline as it approaches the second half of the season and remember that moral victories don’t count in the standings.

“We were within an inch, but it might as well be a mile,” Taranto said. “We have to learn to finish. Our offensive line didn’t show up in the second half, and we got burned on that long pass. Big plays are killing us right now.”