Arizona high school football Thursday roundup: Highland, ACP, SCA, Estrella Foothills win
With the playoffs around the corner, several teams made huge strides to show they're set to make a big postseason run. Let's look at some of these statement wins across Arizona high schools during Thursday night varsity football:
Highland in Open form
Since the 35-24 loss to Utah's Lone Peak on Sept. 8, Highland has strung together six impressive wins and a close 24-22 loss to Chandler on Sept. 22. On Thursday, defense once against dominated in a 42-13 rout of Queen Creek.
It was the fourth straight win for Highland (7-2) and fifth in its last six games.
Highland came into the game ranked No. 6 by the Arizona Interscholastic Association in the Open Division, which takes the top teams from 6A, 5A and 4A for an eight-team state tournament. It was the first time that Highland was among the Open eight. Last year, Highland missed out on the Open and ended up winning its second straight 6A title.
Since the 22-21 win over Basha early in the season, the Hawks have felt like an Open team. And, late in the season, they're making an emphatic statement they belong. Nobody doubts them.
Jay Martin once again was bullish in the red zone for the Hawks against Queen Creek and safety Kody Cullimore was a ball hawk, creating havoc for the Queen Creek offense. One of Queen Creek's scores came on defense, an interception return for a touchdown.
Quarterback Kalen Fisher brushed that off with a 35-yard scoring pass to Greg Toler Jr. that gave Highland a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter.
Cullimore forced a fumble and intercepted a pass. Bertrand Berry had two sacks. Martin ran for 75 yards and two scores. Fisher was 10 of 16 for 203 yards and two TDs. Katcher Taylor had six catches for 123 yards and a TD.
Arizona College Prep in position to win region
Chandler Arizona College Prep took care of business with a 15-12 win over Mesquite, setting up next week's 4A Desert Sky Region championship showdown with unbeaten Phoenix Arcadia.
Cayden Gibson led a strong defensive effort with five sacks for the Knights (7-2), who are ranked No. 9 by the AIA in the conference.
Scottsdale Christian solidifies high 2A seed
Scottsdale Christian (8-2), led by Jacob Trapp's four rushing touchdowns, locked up a top-three seed in the 2A playoffs with a 42-6 win over Phoenix Shadow Mountain. It was the Eagles' sixth consecutive win, scoring more than 40 points each game.
Their only 2A loss was to No. 1 Pima, 23-20, on Sept. 1. Their only other loss was to a top 3A team, Valley Christian, 37-28, on Sept. 15.
SCA's schedule lightented up considerably since the Valley Christian game, so the Eagles will need to be sharp as the playoffs get tougher.
"I tried to prepare us each week with tougher practices to get ready for the playoffs," first-year head coach Mike Sheahan said. "Sometimes the best competition is yourself."
Estrella Foothills dominates in 5th straight win
Goodyear Estrella Foothills wasted no time asserting itself in a 50-8 rout at Glendale Copper Canyon for its fifth straight win. It came into the game ranked No. 23 in 4A. It has one game left. The top 16 teams make it to the playoffs.
After a 1-3 start, Estrella Foothills (6-3) has turned it around under first-year head coach Mike Spencer.
The Wolves will play for the Copper Sky Region championship against Deer Valley next week.
“Our goal was to be competitive in every game this year and win the region," Spencer said. "I’m so proud of our staff and players for buying in setting up this amazing and well earned opportunity for our program”
Estrella Foothills was 1-9 each of the last two seasons.
Thursday's standouts included quarterback Hone Wray (two TD passes), Simeione Koroush and Anthony Horne Jr. (two rushing TDs each), linebacker Elijah Alvarado (10 tackles) and defensive end Lorenzo Ruelas (an interception return for a score).
Highland Prep pulls out last-minute win
Surprise Highland Prep ended its football season in dramatic fashion, beating Mountainside 36-30 on a last-minute touchdown and a defensive stand in a 2A game.
Highland Prep (3-7) rallied behind Gil Camacho's last-minute touchdown pass to Aeden Calini. That was followed by great defense in the end. Linebacker Liam Coye, a sophomore, returned an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter that ended up being huge.
"It was a complete team win and showed we finally know how to win those close games," coach Jason Shaw said. "Kids showed a lot of grit and never gave up. Gave our seniors on Senior Night a well-deserved and memorable ending to their high school football careers."
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona HS football Thursday roundup: Highland, ACP, SCA, EF win
