The Phoenix Christian Cougars will stay at home for another week and welcome the Highland Prep Honey Badgers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Phoenix Christian's defense has only allowed 15 points per game this season, so Highland Prep's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Phoenix Christian's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Glendale Prep Academy 55-0 at home.
Phoenix Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Z'Yeon Rondan led the charge by rushing for 87 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. Rondan also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing a fumble, making three total tackles, and making three total tackles in addition to snagging an interception. Kevin Palafox was another key rusher, rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
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.
Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks on offense in their last four contests, Highland Prep finally came back down to earth on Friday. They took a blow against Cortez, falling 43-12. The Honey Badgers' loss signaled the end of their five-game winning streak dating back to last season.
Highland Prep might have lost, but man, Faride Isaack Villa was a machine: he picked up 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Isaack Villa was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 69 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Gil Camacho, who threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
Phoenix Christian's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Highland Prep, their defeat was their first of the season and also makes their record 4-1.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Phoenix Christian has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 270.8 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Highland Prep has preferred to attack from the air: they average 294.6 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Everything came up roses for Phoenix Christian against Highland Prep in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 43-6 victory. Will Phoenix Christian repeat their success, or does Highland Prep have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
