After starting their season with three straight games on the road, Higley is finally coming home. They will be defending their home-fieldthey go up against the Desert Edge Scorpions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Higley is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Marana, who was ranked eighth in their home state at the time (Higley was ranked tenth). Higley fell 36-28 to Marana on Friday. The Knights' defeat signaled the end of their eight-game winning streak dating back to last season.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Luke Haugo, who threw for 253 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 49 yards. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in October of 2023. Another pass catcher making a difference was Jaden Taylor, who picked up 145 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Higley wouldn't let Marana keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Higley can thank Kooper Woolf and Maxwell Siemen for forcing both of them. Woolf is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last 12 games he's played dating back to last season.
Even though they lost, Higley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 219 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Marana only rushed for 88.
Meanwhile, Desert Edge strolled past Camelback with points to spare on Thursday, taking the game 24-6.
Elijah Sherbin-Fox had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, and also threw for 230 yards and a touchdown. He got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 66 yards. 81 of those passing yards were hauled in by Jaelyn Easterling-Flores.
Desert Edge's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. Camelback's QB won't forget Easterling-Flores anytime soon given he sacked him twice. Joshua Hopphaus was another major factor on D, making ten total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Having lost for the first time this season, Higley fell to 2-1. As for Desert Edge, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Higley has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 290 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Desert Edge, though, as they've been averaging only 158. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Higley won a contest that couldn't have been any closer in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, slipping by Desert Edge 42-41. Does Higley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Desert Edge turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
