Football Preview: Horizon Huskies vs. Cactus Shadows Falcons
Horizon is 5-0 against Cactus Shadows since October of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Horizon Huskies will face off against the Cactus Shadows Falcons at 7:00 p.m. Horizon will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Horizon is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Higley, who was ranked 14th in their home state at the time (Horizon was ranked tenth). Horizon came out on top in a nail-biter against Higley on Thursday, sneaking past 27-24.
Jase Ashley continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 180 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 61 yards and a touchdown. Horizon also relied on Ashley, who's 51-yard boot wound up being the difference in the game. A healthy portion of Ashley's aerial production (80 yards to be exact) went to Adem Wagner.
Horizon's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB four times. Higley's QB won't forget Jayden Ridley anytime soon given he sacked him twice. Ridley is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least five every time he's taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Cactus Shadows hadn't done well against Notre Dame Prep recently (they were 0-6 in their previous six matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Cactus Shadows came out on top against Notre Dame Prep by a score of 28-21.
It was another big night for Donivan C Dixon, who rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 170 yards and a touchdown. He was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 51 yards. Andrew Muirhead also helped out as he racked up 105 rushing yards.
Horizon pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Cactus Shadows, their record now sits at 6-3.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Ashley and C Dixon. Ashley has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages 182.8 passing yards and has 17 passing touchdowns on the season. For his part, C Dixon has averaged 221.4 passing yards and has 21 passing touchdowns on the season.
Everything came up roses for Horizon against Cactus Shadows in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 42-14 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was C Dixon, who threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 108 yards on only nine carries. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Horizon still be able to contain C Dixon? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
