Who wins 5A football championship? Expect another Desert Edge-Higley thriller

What can Desert Edge and Higley do for an encore?

This time, one of them can hold up a gold ball.

When the 11-2 teams meet at Mountain America Stadium on Friday at 8 p.m., for the 5A state high school football championship, it's going to be hard to replicate the drama of their regular-season meeting in September. In that game, Higley, the defending 5A champions from Gilbert, stormed back from a deficit, only to see Goodyear's Desert Edge pull out a 38-32 overtime win without its starting quarterback.

More: Resilient Desert Edge football survives Higley in 2 OTs after giving up 25-point lead

Hezekiah Millender was ejected late in the third quarter against Higley and Desert Edge's offense struggled without him. Co-head coaches Mark and Marcus Carter tried to patch up the offense by moving pieces around. It was an exhilarating yet draining game for both teams with the Scorpions finding a way to win.

The Knights and Scorpions both added more firepower in the second half of the season when transfers became eligible.

Let's break down this Friday's rematch:

Both offenses stronger

Higley sophomore quarterback Gunner Fagrell regained his starting job after Luke Haugo got injured, and he's been on a tear since the Knights' 28-6 loss to Horizon. He has thrown 19 TD passes in the last five games with just two interceptions. And with running back Daxen Hall a touchdown machine every time he touches the ball, Desert Edge's defense is going to have to be aware of all kinds of threats. Even in the loss to Desert Edge, Fagrell bounced back after throwing three interceptions with three TD passes and a scoring run. Fagrell's improvement over the last five weeks has been incredible and he isn't about to seize the moment. He's been aided by a couple of receivers who became eligible in the second half of the season: former Red Mountain player Taveon Sueing (25 catches, 452 yards, six TDs in the last seven games) and former North player Ezy Brown (16 catches, 157 yards, two TDs). The mainstays have been receivers Jaden Taylor (71, 1,044, 16) and Kaden Millner (48, 599, 4).

Desert Edge's offense got a boost from Goldwater transfer Markhi McKinnon, who became eligible midway through the season. He has rushed for 976 yards and 12 TDs in eight games. That's taken pressure off the passing game, which has only improved with Millender's ability to elude defenders and bide his time to find receiver Jaqua Anderson, another midseason addition who transferred from Liberty. Anderson and Kezion Dia-Anderson have a combined 19 TD catches.

Defenses disruptive

Desert Edge defensive end Deshawn Warner might be the best defensive player in the state. He can drop in coverage and intercept passes. He can bat passes down at the line of scrimmage. He's a game-changer who had a Herculean game on both sides of the ball in the regular-season meeting against Higley. He's recorded 16 sacks and 20 tackles for losses on the season.

In the double OT win, Warner intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown from his defensive end position.

Higley has some ball hawkers, including Andrew Zubey, coach Eddy Zubey's son, who returned an interception last week as part of an incredible start that quickly put away Apollo, and Donovan Aidoo and Nijrel Eason II. They were all part of the secondary that won the 5A championship over Cactus last year.

Jacob Pitts' ability to get into the backfield (20 tackles for losses), has allowed Higley's DBs to make plays in the secondary.

Related: Desert Edge football's Carters make history with brother's spirit fueling them

Who wins?

Both teams are equal in so many ways that it's hard to pick a winner. I keep going back and forth on this. Higley is absolutely rolling right now, and with last year's state championship experience, it's hard not to give them a slight edge, even against a team as athletic and well-coached as Desert Edge. The Scorpions just escaped Horizon, the only team that derailed Higley before the Knights went off. Horizon seemed like the team to beat in 5A after losing only to 6A Pinnacle and Open Desert Mountain in the regular season. So what gives? Higley beat Desert Edge 45-42 in last year's quarterfinals. This is the rubber match of what has become a great east side-west side rivalry. In the end, Higley finds a way to rally in the final minute.

Prediction: Higley 42, Desert Edge 38

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Expect another Desert Edge-Higley thriller in 5A football final