Patrick Kaplan is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Highland High School for AZPreps365.com

Let us set the scene. The moon was full over Highland High School on a cool Friday night on November 7. The Hawks were preparing to gain playoff positioning on Senior Night, while the opposing visitors looked to play spoiler.

The visiting Mountain View Toros hoped to beat Highland again, nearly 10 years after their last meeting, when the Toros won in double overtime.

As their 2015 meeting ended in double overtime, so did their 2025 game. Mountain View won 41-34.

The defeat marked Highland’s final home game of the 2025 campaign. The No. 18 Hawks went on to fall to No. 15 Mesa in the first round of the AIA 6A State Championship. Highland finished its season 4-7.  

The game against Mountain View started slowly with both teams punting on their first drives, and it wasn’t until Highland’s second drive that a team found success on offense. Highland sophomore quarterback Paiden Cash Dalhaug was tasked with taking on Mountain View’s dominant defense. He marched his team down the field in a drive that saw a fourth-down attempt and ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Anthony Martin, giving Highland its first lead of the game.

The Hawks' defense was able to keep the momentum going with a forced fumble and recovery at their own 19-yard line, taking away a red zone drive from the Toros. That momentum lost some of its steam when Cash Dalhaug threw a deep ball down the sideline that resulted in a Toros interception.

The Hawks’ defense was unsatisfied. It forced another fumble and gave the ball right back to the offense. Unable to grab any points, they left the door open, and the Toros walked right in. The touchdown drive was led by a huge 30-yard conversion on a fourth down play to senior Toro Zachary Galaviz that put Mountain View at Highland’s 6-yard line.

The rest of the first half was all Mountain View. A 29-yard field goal was the only offense Highland had before Mountain View scored its second touchdown of the game. A blocked point after by sophomore Carter Camac just a week after he had a big strip sack against Red Mountain left the score 13-10 Toros before an eventful second half.

Mountain View took a 20-10 lead on its first drive of the second half just for an 83-yard screen pass that brought the Hawks back within three.

The momentum was back on the home team’s side, supercharging the defense to force its third fumble of the game. A big fourth down run by senior Cayman Mullenaux led the Hawks into the red zone and set up a go ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. A fourth down stop by senior Tu Pauga in open field led to another field goal, making it 27-20 Hawks.

The Toros fought back with another long play on fourth down, leading to another quarterback rush touchdown by Mountain View’s Brady Goodman. With the score knotted up at 27, the teams were headed towards overtime, as it did 10 years earlier.

Mountain View won the coin toss and deferred, leading to Highland getting the ball first.

Its players did not blink twice.

One play, one touchdown. Junior Kruz Cullimore walked in with a 10 yard reception.

Mountain View matched Highland’s first play touchdown with one of its own, tying the game back up at 34.

The second overtime commenced with Mountain View scoring on its second play, putting the ball back in the hands of Cash Dalhaug. Another score would push this game to a third overtime, but a negative play on second down and a scramble on fourth down led to heartbreak for the home team. The Mountain View Toros won, 41-34 in double overtime.

“This team means everything,” said senior Grady Crandall. “We put every ounce of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears into the week.”

Head coach Brock Farrel said he thought the team played well, but there was room for improvement.

“Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way,” Farrel said.