Aaron Schmidt is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Higley High School for AZPreps365.com 

QUEEN CREEK -- The Higley Knights dropped to 0-5 on the season after a 47-27 loss to the Casteel Colts. This is the worst start for the Knights since 2005.

The Knights looked as if they might snap that losing streak, leading 20-16 going into halftime. It all fell apart after that. “We just ran out of gas,” head coach Eddy Zubey said. “We just had a lot of injuries. They were bigger than us and we couldn’t stop the run.”

The Knights allowed 480 rushing yards, 359 of them coming in the second half. Casteel running back A.J. Murphy rushed for 373 yards and five touchdowns, breaking a school record for rushing yards in a game.

“We just need to get our guys healthy,” Zubey said. “Once we get them back, we’ll be more stout on defense.”

The game started off slowly for the Knights, as they gave up a fumble and tossed an interception early in the first quarter. The Colts led 10-0 before a 30-yard targeting penalty put the Knights in scoring position.

A big 38-yard reception by Colton Allen set up a five-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jamar Malone ii, closing the deficit to 10-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Trailing 16-7 with 2:06 left in the second quarter, Higley's Allen ran it in for a three-yard touchdown. The score stood 16-13 after the extra point was missed.

Higley quickly got the ball back with 1:25 on the clock, thanks to a fumble recovery by linebacker Evani Levrets. The Knights capitalized via a 16-yard Aidan Garcia touchdown reception with 17 seconds to go in the half, putting Higley up 20-16 at the intermission.

Higley's crowd was pumped up, cheering their team. The vibe was electric. That all changed after Casteel marched right down the field to begin the third quarter, scoring to take a 22-20 lead.

Casteel would go on to score another touchdown with 2:34 left in the third quarter to make the score 28-20. They attempted the 2-point conversion but were unsuccessful.

The fourth quarter begun with a Casteel interception as Higley was in scoring position with 11:50 left in the game. The red zone turnover appeared to completely changed the tenor of the contest: Casteel would go on to score three more touchdowns.

Higley scored a touchdown in the final seconds to bring the final margin to 47-27.

The Higley offense struggled the entire second half, passing for 53 yards and rushing for 69 yards. Last week Malone ii, a freshman, had taken over for Cash Merrill at quarterback in Higley’s loss against Boulder Creek. "[He] gives us the best opportunity to win,” Zubey said.

Malone finished Friday night's game with 227 passing yards two total touchdowns. He also threw for three interceptions against the Colts, making it five already in the freshman's two starts this season.

On the bright side, Higley only allowed four passing yards and blocked three extra points.

“We played our hearts out,” Zubey told his team after the game. “Think positive and stay positive, all you can ever ask for in this game is for an opportunity.”

The Knights have four games left, meaning this loss secures a losing season for the first time since 2015 for this program. “This is an incredibly young team,” athletic director Aaron Dille said. “I’m super proud of these kids. There are freshman and sophomores everywhere. I can’t wait to see where this team goes from here.”

Coach Zubey and the Knights will take on the Desert Ridge Jaguars next Friday, once again in hopes of breaking into the win column for the first time this season.