Football Preview: Higley Knights vs. Williams Field Black Hawks
Higley is 2-7 against Williams Field since October of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Higley Knights will be playing in front of their home fans against the Williams Field Black Hawks at 7:00 p.m. Higley will be looking to keep their seven-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Higley is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Desert Mountain, who was ranked 15th in their home state at the time (Higley was ranked 11th). Higley came out on top in a nail-biter against Desert Mountain on Friday, sneaking past 15-12. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Knights have posted since August 18, 2023.
Higley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Anthony Palka led the charge by throwing for 127 yards and two touchdowns. What's more, Palka also racked up 24 rushing yards, the most he's had since back in November of 2023. Gatling Drake Walton also helped out with an impressive 81 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Williams Field came up short against ALA - Queen Creek on Friday and fell 22-10.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Courshawn Hill and Brandon Brown. Brown had a great game and rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Hill was balling out in the loss, rushing for 92 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Even if they lost, Williams Field's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. Leading the way was Joshua Chappell with 2.5. Another thorn in ALA - Queen Creek's side was Adrian Dahlene, who made 19 total tackles.
Williams Field has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-5 record this season. As for Higley, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Higley has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 269.9 passing yards per game. Williams Field, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 158.6 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Higley barely slipped by Williams Field when the teams last played back in November of 2023, winning 36-35. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Williams Field's Dylan Lee, who rushed for 417 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 13.9 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Higley to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
