After two games on the road, Highland is heading back home. They will host the Chandler Wolves at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Highland was fully in charge, breezing past Campo Verde 35-3 on the road. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona football rankings (they are ranked third, while the Coyotes are ranked 37th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Highland found their leader in underclassman Kruz Cullimore, who rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Those 96 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for Cullimore. Another player making a difference was Kalen Fisher, who threw for 120 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Chandler put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 49-6 win over Corona del Sol on the road.
Tristan Halsana continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 101 yards and four touchdowns on only seven carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 64 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Will Mencl was another key player, throwing for 116 yards and two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Chandler's defense and their four sacks. Leading the way was Xavier Senior with two. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 5.3 total tackles per game.
Highland's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Chandler, their win bumped their record up to an identical 4-0.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Highland has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 163.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Chandler struggles in that department as they've been averaging 215. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Highland didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Chandler in their previous matchup back in November of 2023, but they still walked away with a 19-14 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Chandler's Ca'Lil Valentine, who rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 41 receiving yards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Highland to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
