Cactus Shadows is 0-4 against Horizon since October of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Cactus Shadows Falcons will head out on the road to face off against the Horizon Huskies at 7:00 p.m. Cactus Shadows is hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses.
Last Thursday, Cactus Shadows came up short against Notre Dame Prep and fell 32-21.
The losing side was boosted by Donivan Dixon, who threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes, and also rushed for 83 yards. Another player making a difference was Noah Brouse, who picked up 66 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Horizon faced Higley in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Horizon was the clear victor by a 28-6 margin over Higley. The result was nothing new for Horizon, who have now won five contests by 22 points or more so far this season.
Anthony Segura was the offensive standout of the matchup as he rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries. Bodie Zamorano also helped out as he racked up 125 rushing yards.
Horizon's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB 4.5 times. Leading the way was Segura and his two sacks.
Notre Dame Prep's victory bumped their season record to 4-4 while Cactus Shadows' defeat dropped theirs to 3-5.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Cactus Shadows has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 192.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Horizon struggles in that department as they've been even better at 243.9 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Cactus Shadows suffered a grim 49-25 defeat to Horizon in their previous meeting back in September of 2022. Thankfully for Cactus Shadows, Roman Funk (who rushed for 30 yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
