The Shadow Ridge Stallions will face off against the Higley Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Shadow Ridge is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
On Thursday, Shadow Ridge was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 22-16 to Williams Field.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Michael Cruz, who rushed for 120 yards on only 15 carries, and also picked up 78 receiving yards. Christian Normandin was another key signal caller, throwing for 111 yards and one touchdown while completing 80% of his passes.
Even if they lost, Shadow Ridge's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Aiden Tatum and Terran Gutierrez, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Higley ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 41-38 victory over Brophy College Prep. The Knights' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Gunner Fagrell and Case Vanden Bosch. Fagrell had a great game and threw for 347 yards and three TDs. Meanwhile, Vanden Bosch was balling out in the loss, rushing for 72 yards and three scores, while also throwing for 272 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 84.6% of his passes.
Higley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Dylan Hostallero and Justice Brathwaite. Hostallero also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with six. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
The win made it two in a row for Higley and bumps their season record up to 5-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 32.5 points over those games. As for Shadow Ridge, they now have a losing record of 3-4.