Football Preview: Highland Prep Honey Badgers vs. Phoenix Christian Cougars
The Highland Prep Honey Badgers will square off against the Phoenix Christian Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Highland Prep is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 38 points two weeks ago, they were much more limited against Cortez on Friday. They had to suffer through a 43-12 loss at the hands of the Colts. The game marked the Honey Badgers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Despite the defeat, Highland Prep got top-tier performance from Faride Isaack Villa, who picked up 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Isaack Villa showed off some serious burst, cutting upfield on a catch for 69 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Gil Camacho, who threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, while Phoenix Christian put up plenty of points on Thursday, the same can't be said for Glendale Prep Academy. Phoenix Christian blew past Glendale Prep Academy 55-0 at home. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.
Phoenix Christian got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Z'Yeon Rondan out in front who rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. Rondan also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing a fumble, making three total tackles, and making three total tackles in addition to snagging an interception. Phoenix Christian also got a significant boost from Gio Young, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 86 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Phoenix Christian was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 366 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Phoenix Christian wouldn't let Glendale Prep Academy keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Phoenix Christian can thank Rondan and Luke Hocking for forcing both of them.
The loss snapped Highland Prep's winning streak at five games dating back to last season and leaves them with a 4-1 record. As for Phoenix Christian, their record is now 4-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Highland Prep has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 294.6 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Phoenix Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 37. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Highland Prep was dealt a bruising 43-6 defeat at the hands of Phoenix Christian when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Highland Prep, Brandon Scroggins (who rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
