The Cactus Shadows Falcons will square off against the Higley Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Higley is hoping to do what Boulder Creek couldn't on Friday: put an end to Cactus Shadows' winning streak (dating back to last season), which now stands at five games. Cactus Shadows breezed by Boulder Creek at home to the tune of 55-28. Fans of the Falcons have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
It was another big night for Donivan C Dixon, who rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries, and also threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in September of 2023. Jake King was another key player, rushing for 82 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Cactus Shadows was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 358 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 211 rushing yards in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Higley faced Desert Edge in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Everything went Higley's way against Desert Edge as Higley made off with a 39-14 win.
Luke Haugo continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 173 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 75 yards on only eight carries. Jaden Taylor was Haugo's top target, picking up 105 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Higley wouldn't let Desert Edge keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Higley can thank Ezy Brown and Maxwell Siemen for forcing both of them. Siemen is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season. Kooper Woolf was another major factor on D, making ten total tackles (2.0 for loss) and defending a pass.
Cactus Shadows' victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Higley, their win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-1.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Cactus Shadows has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 305.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Higley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 189.2. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Cactus Shadows suffered a grim 47-27 defeat to Higley in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Cactus Shadows, Daxen Hall (who rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries, and also picked up 63 receiving yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
