It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Mesa had no problem doing just that on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 27-24 win over the Highland Hawks. For the Jackrabbits, this counts as revenge for the 34-7 victory the Hawks walked away with the last time they faced one another back in August of 2015.
Rio Arnett produced another solid performance rushing for 153 yards and one touchdown. Mesa also relied on Arnett, who's 45-yard boot wound up being the difference in the game.
Mesa's run defense was locked in: Highland could only muster 3.4 yards per carry. The team can thank Ezekiel Estep for the heroic effort on defense: he. Mesa's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 5.2.
Mesa's defense didn't let Paiden Cash Dalhaug, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. Joe Haynie refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself. Mesa got some further help from Estep: he picked up a sack, forced one fumble, and made 12 total tackles (2.5 for loss).
Highland's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Cash Dalhaug, who threw for 216 yards and a pair of TDs.
Mesa is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 32.2 points over those games. As for Highland, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-7.
As of now, neither Mesa nor the Hawks have any future games scheduled.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
