After each having a week off, the Higley Knights and the ALA - Gilbert North Eagles will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Higley will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each contest than the last.
Higley is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Cactus Shadows, who was ranked 20th in their home state at the time (Higley was ranked seventh). Higley snuck past Cactus Shadows with a 56-50 victory last Friday. The Knights' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Luke Haugo was his usual excellent self, throwing for 380 yards and five touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes, and also rushing for 48 yards and a touchdown. Jaden Taylor was in the mix as well, providing Higley with three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, ALA - Gilbert North really took it to Skyline for the full four quarters, racking up a 42-13 win at home. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 28-0.
Conner White was nothing short of spectacular: he threw for 184 yards and two touchdowns while completing 77.3% of his passes, and also rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Cam Shepard, who picked up 74 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Higley's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for ALA - Gilbert North, they pushed their record up to 4-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Higley has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 286.4 passing yards per game. ALA - Gilbert North, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 160 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Higley took their victory against ALA - Gilbert North in their previous matchup back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 49-29. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was ALA - Gilbert North's Brandon Phelps, who picked up 169 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Higley to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
