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

 

On the home field of the Higley Knights, the varsity football team headed into halftime down 7-14 against Desert Edge to later turn around the game for a 39-14 win on September 20. 

After Higley had multiple turnovers in the first half of the game and faced Desert Edge’s strong defense, the score was 7-14. Coming into the second half of the game with a new game plan, Higley had multiple interceptions and scored four touchdowns. 

Higley and Edge have been battling it out on the field for a while. Two seasons ago, Higley knocked Edge out of the playoffs. In the last season, Edge beat Higley in the normal season, later Higley won the state championship game against Edge. During that game, there were a total of 19 player ejections, multiple fights,and a 29-point comeback in the last 16 minutes of the game. 

Higley Head Coach Eddy Zubey said adjustments had to be made to fully utilize the team's strengths and the results of the first half led to the execution of the second half. 

“We would miss a block, bad snap, dropped ball and lacked in coverage,” Zubey said. “We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. So, we had talked about trusting each other and going back out there and executing in the second half.”

Additionally, Zubey said he was able to rely on the offensive lineman to end up winning this game. 

“It was the offensive line 100% and how they came out in the second half. Those five guys working together was awesome,” Zubey said 

The game’s common theme was a switch in mindset during halftime to accomplish the end goal of winning. 

Justin Bender, a senior running back who executed two touchdowns this game, said having a positive mindset affected the game.

“Our team's word of the week was love,” Bender said. “All our teammates came together, weren’t arguing with each other, weren’t yelling, and we stayed calm. In the second half, we trusted each other and that's how we got our game together.” 

Bender said the shift from the first half to the second half made this a winning game for Higley. 

Luke Haugo, a starting senior quarterback, said passing and receiving the ball more in the second half to complete drives and to score points ultimately won the game. 

“No matter how sloppy it was, a win is a win, especially against a respectable team like Desert Edge, which is a top 10 team in the state,” Haugo said. “Any time you get to come out here and win no matter who you are against, it is a good day.”