The Cactus Shadows Falcons will face off against the Higley Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Higley is hoping to do what Boulder Creek couldn't on Friday: put an end to Cactus Shadows' winning streak (dating back to last season), which now stands at five games. Cactus Shadows took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 55-28 win over Boulder Creek. Fans of the Falcons have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Donivan C Dixon continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries, while also throwing for 248 yards and three touchdowns. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 103.2 rushing yards per game. Another player making a difference was Jake King, who rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Cactus Shadows was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 423 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 211 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Higley faced Desert Edge in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Higley was the clear victor by a 39-14 margin over Desert Edge.
Luke Haugo was his usual excellent self, throwing for 173 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 75 yards on only eight carries. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Jaden Taylor was Haugo's top target, picking up 105 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Higley wouldn't let Desert Edge keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Higley can thank Ezy Brown and Maxwell Siemen for forcing both of them. Siemen is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season. Higley got some further help from Kooper Woolf: he made ten total tackles (2.0 for loss) and defended a pass.
Cactus Shadows' victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Higley, they pushed their record up to 3-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Cactus Shadows has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 321.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Higley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 189.2. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Cactus Shadows might still be hurting after the 47-27 loss they got from Higley in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Cactus Shadows, Daxen Hall (who rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries, and also picked up 63 receiving yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
