Football Recap: Luis Sosa and Thomas Phan Pace Highland Park Defense

Josh Marler

Passer Rating

10/17/25 @ Sunray	159.2
09/19/25 @ Memphis	127.9
09/12/25 vs Clarendon	105
09/05/25 @ Bovina	93.1
10/10/25 vs West Texas	78.2
+ 2 more games

Sunray came into Friday's matchup looking for another win against Highland Park, but Josh Marler wouldn't allow it. The Hornets strolled past the Bobcats with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 38-20 for which the team can thank Marler, who threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns while completing 78.6% of his passes, and also rushed for 54 yards and one TD. His passing game has become a key predictor of Highland Park's success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 0-4 otherwise.

One reason for the win was Highland Park's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Luis Sosa and Thomas Phan, who racked up all six sacks between them. Sosa is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in each of the last five games he's played.

Highland Park's victory bumped their record up to 3-4. As for Sunray, their loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 0-7.

Coming up, Highland Park will host Spearman at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Lynx will roll in looking for their sixth straight win, something the Hornets surely won't give up without a fight. As for Sunray, they are taking a road trip to square off against Panhandle at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bobcats will need to watch out since the Panthers have now posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.