The Cortez Colts have the luxury of staying home for another week and will welcome the Highland Prep Honey Badgers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 35-6, which was the final score in Cortez's tilt against Tanque Verde on Friday. The Colts were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-0.
Meanwhile, Highland Prep put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They came out on top against Madison Highland Prep by a score of 38-26. While the Honey Badgers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-7), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Highland Prep's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kalel Pickens, who rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown. That's the most rushing yards Pickens has posted since back in August of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Aeden Calini, who picked up 128 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Highland Prep's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged five passes before it was all said and done. Calini and Faride Isaack Villa were the leaders of the group effort as each produced two apiece. Calini's receiving production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 123 receiving yards dating back to last season.
Cortez's loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Highland Prep, their victory was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0.
Cortez took their win against Highland Prep in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 32-12. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Highland Prep's Isaiah Gomez, who picked up 113 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Cortez to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
