The Cicero-North Syracuse flag football team has made a habit of heart-pounding finishes this season.

The Northstars looked to be headed for another down-to-the-wire contest early on in their matchup with Oneida on Monday.

However, the Northstars' explosive offense allowed them to pull away for a 34-24 victory over the Express.

"I was very happy with how the team played," C-NS coach Stephen Mirizio said. "It was back-and-forth a little bit in the first half, but I loved how my team stayed up and they responded well."  

Oneida found the end zone multiple times in the first half, but the scores did not discourage quarterback Olivia Cook. The senior orchestrated multiple scoring drives to put C-NS up 28-12 at halftime.

The Northstars' rushing attack was also on point. Running back Shanyrah Burton-Sledge cashed in for two touchdowns on the ground.

On the defensive end, C-NS held its ground after Oneida's early scores. The Northstars consistently held the Express to short offensive drives.

"Both sides of the ball played very well," Mirizio said. "It was definitely a team effort."

The victory puts C-NS back in win column following a tough loss in its last outing against Syracuse East. The Northstars fell by just one point to the undefeated squad.

"We lost a heartbreaker to Syracuse East," Mirizio said. "To come back strong and get this win, it's obviously really big. We get the momentum going forward."

C-NS (7-3-1) is set to host Fayetteville-Manlius on Tuesday.