Tyler Simpson is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Central High School for AZPreps365.com.

PHOENIX- Central High School struggled on homecoming night Friday with a 37-27 loss to Apollo High School, but senior wide receiver/middle linebacker Joe Munoz put on a stellar performance with 72 yards receiving, a touchdown, and a forced fumble.  

Munoz is normally quarterback Dominik Bagchi’s second option, with Carter Allen being the first. Allen, though, was dealing with a back injury from last week’s loss to Camelback. He had landed on a defender’s body while catching a touchdown late in the first half.

Allen, who also starts in the Bobcat secondary at cornerback, did not see a single snap on defense Friday night versus Apollo. He would not play on offense until the final drive of the first half, and then in the second half as well.

The coaching staff informed Munoz before the game that he was going to be the number-one target for the game against the Hawks. “This was Joe’s greatest game here at Central,” said coach Chandler Hovik. “And he deserves it. He works extremely hard, he’s a senior, and it was great to see him have this type of game.”

When Munoz arrived at Central as a freshman, he was a quarterback, but defensive coach Ed Saldana said otherwise and put him at middle linebacker. “Joe is a turnover machine for us,” said Saldana. “When I first got here, he was a quarterback, but I knew he was built to be a Mike linebacker.”

Munoz kicked and fussed when Saldana told him that, but now as a senior, he relishes it. “I love the contact and I love being in the middle of everything,” said Munoz. “I love telling the defensive line what to do to make a play.”

In the fourth quarter, Munoz forced the fumble. Two plays later he caught a wheel route on the left side for a 25-yard touchdown to put the Bobcats within 10. 

Carter finished with 59 receiving yards in the second half and a garbage-time touchdown with less than a minute left in the game, but his injury from last week still bothered him. “He didn’t feel great in pregame, and I was hopeful that he could get into the second half,” said Hovik. “He ended up making a big play, but he’s not 100%.”

Bagchi, Central's quarterback, was forced to scramble out of the pocket a plethora of times throughout the night due to a porous offensive line. While Bagchi threw for 216 yards and three touchdown, he also tossed to interceptions and a few ill-advised free-for-all passes.

“We’re starting a sophomore at guard and our other guard is a freshman, so it’s a learning experience for those guys,” said Hovik. “Every game we play, we are the undersized team, but they are giving it their all.”

On the other end of the field, Hawks running back Adam Muhammad ran for three touchdowns, including a 70-yarder at the end of the first quarter, and three more carries for over 20 yards.

The Bobcats, though, were often their own worst enemy. “Central beats Central every week and it’s disgusting,” said Saldana to his players after the game, alluding to an abundance of missed coverages throughout the game.

The defense will need to improve for its last regular-season game against North Canyon on Friday, November 12. The Bobcats fell to 2-2 in the 5A Metro region (4-4 overall), staying at third place. Apollo, on the other hand, remains in first with a 4-0 record in the region and 7-2 overall.