The Douglas Bulldogs will square off against the Sahuaro Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Douglas is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They really took it to Amphitheater for the full four quarters, racking up a 45-14 win. The high-scoring effort was just what the Bulldogs needed considering they were shut out in their previous matchup.
Ivan Higuera
| 10/10/25 @ Amphitheater | 267 |
| 10/03/25 @ Mica Mountain | 36 |
| 09/19/25 @ Empire | 102 |
| 09/12/25 vs Pueblo | 115 |
| 09/05/25 vs Bisbee | 110 |
| + 3 more games |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Douglas to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ivan Higuera, who threw for 267 yards and three TDs on only 18 passes, and also rushed for 30 yards and one score. That's the most passing yards Higuera has posted since back in November of 2024. Another receiver making a difference was Davian Fimbres, who picked up 155 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Douglas' defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. The heavy lifting was done by Ethan Gonzales and Julio Valdivia, who racked up four sacks between them. Valdivia has become a key player for Douglas: the team is undefeated when he posts at least one sack, but 1-2 otherwise.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Sahuaro, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They came out on top against Catalina Foothills by a score of 21-14 on Friday.
Sahuaro's win came from a few key players Douglas will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Anakin Alexander, who rushed for 54 yards and a pair of scores. He is also on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in each of the last three games he's played. Sahuaro also got a significant boost from Julian Perez, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 103 yards.
Sahuaro's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-2. The home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 26.0 points over those games. As for Douglas, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Douglas has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 152 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Sahuaro struggles in that department as they've been averaging 165.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Douglas came up short against Sahuaro in their previous matchup back in September of 2024, falling 39-33. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Cougars' Isaac Lugo, who rushed for 170 yards and three TDs on only 15 carries, and also picked up 30 receiving yards. Now that the Bulldogs know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
