The Higley Knights will venture away from home to challenge the Shadow Ridge Stallions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Higley will be strutting in after a victory while Shadow Ridge will be coming in after a defeat.
Higley is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Brophy College Prep, who was ranked eighth at the time (Higley was ranked 11th). The Knights skirted past the Broncos 41-38. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Knights have posted since November 1, 2024.
Gunner Fagrell
| 10/17/25 vs Brophy College Prep | 347 |
| 10/03/25 @ Saguaro | 127 |
| 09/26/25 vs Mountain View | 215 |
| 09/19/25 vs Pinnacle | 91 |
| 09/12/25 @ Mesa | 104 |
| + 4 more games |
A big part of Higley's victory came down to the chemistry between Gunner Fagrell and his top target Anthony Palka. Fagrell threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns while Palka picked up 123 receiving yards and three TDs. That's the most passing yards Fagrell has posted since back in November of 2024.
Higley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Dylan Hostallero and Justice Brathwaite. Hostallero also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with six. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Shadow Ridge was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They were six points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 22-16 heartbreaker at the hands of Williams Field.
Higley will need to focus on slowing down Michael Cruz, one of several Shadow Ridge players who made an impact when they last played. He rushed for 120 yards on only 15 carries, and also picked up 78 receiving yards. Christian Normandin was another key player, throwing for 111 yards and one touchdown while completing 80% of his passes.
Even if they lost, Shadow Ridge's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Aiden Tatum and Terran Gutierrez, who each picked up one sack apiece.
The win made it two in a row for Higley and bumps their season record up to 5-2. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 32.5 points over those games. As for Shadow Ridge, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
