After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Bakersfield Christian, Highland was happy to have turned things around on Thursday. They blew past the Independence Falcons 36-13. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Scots considering their ten-point performance the contest before.
Highland found their leader in underclassman Preston Mendez, who threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown. Nicholas Gonzales was Mendez's top target, picking up 108 receiving yards.
Highland's defense made their presence known, laying out Gunter Golla Iii. eight times. Frank Wright and Arnez Lee were the leaders of the group effort as each produced 2.5 apiece.
Despite the defeat, Independence saw an underclassman step up: Rayland Denweed forced a fumble and made ten total tackles (2.0 for loss). The dominant performance also gave Jakhai Ervin a new career-high in rushing yards.
The victory snapped Highland's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 5-3 record. As for Independence, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-4 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Highland will face off against Frontier at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Highland is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 26.8 points per game this season. As for Independence, it'll be Battle of the Birds when Falcons challenges Bakersfield Christian at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Their defense has only allowed 14.7 points per game this season, so Independence's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
