Huskies Fall to Wilson in Mush, 36-34

North Hollywood High couldn’t hang onto a five-point lead and lost a grip on a City Section 3-A Division semifinal game against Wilson on Friday night at Wilson.

Quarterback Julio Briones scored on a two-yard run with 38 seconds left to give the Mules a 36-34 victory over the Huskies, who failed in an effort to reach a City final for the first time since 1955.

Wilson (9-4) will play Van Nuys in the 3-A title game at the Coliseum on Friday night.

North Hollywood’s Dante Clay ended his high school career with a 234-yard, four-touchdown performance in 30 carries, including a go-ahead five-yard touchdown with 1:24 left to give the Huskies a 34-29 lead.

But the fifth-seeded Mules marched 55 yards in 38 seconds to take the lead on Briones’ run.

The kickoff was squibbed, bounced off North Hollywood’s Ricardo Medina and was recovered by Wilson, ending any chance for eighth-seeded North Hollywood (7-6).

Coach Gary Gray concluded his coaching career at North Hollywood by picking his anguished players off the ground and trying to put it into perspective.

“They think it’s the end of the world,” said Gray, who announced his retirement from coaching earlier this season. “They’ll be OK.”

It appeared the Huskies would succeed offensively because the field was muddy--”a lagoon,” said one Wilson official--and covered with sawdust.

It was a slow track, suitable for the Huskies’ double-wing offense, which almost encourages muck and mud.

Despite a head cold, Clay gave the Huskies the lead on each of his four touchdown runs, including a 39-yarder in the first quarter and a 55-yarder in the second quarter that moved the Huskies in front at halftime, 14-7.

Despite the terrain, Wilson came out slinging in the second half.

On the first play of the third quarter, Briones hit Carlos Diaz for 65 yards and set up a game-tying touchdown.

Briones, who completed 16 of 24 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns, hit Diaz for 67 yards on the Mules’ next possession, also setting up a touchdown.

“It became a situation where we knew we would have to throw the football to win the game,” said Coach Eddie Martinez.

The Huskies countered with the run and scored touchdowns on all three second-half possessions.

But they missed the two-point conversion on two of three second-half touchdowns and failed on three of five in the game.