After being up by as much as 21 before Saguaro started to march back at the end of the third quarter, Higley’s offense prevailed late to win 24-17 Friday night.

The Sabercats were able to hold Higley’s offense, which was moving very methodically in the first half, to only six points in the second half.

2026 quarterback Marcel Jones entered the game for the first time midway through the fourth quarter and rattled off a 43-yard touchdown run to bring the game within a score.

But Higley head coach Eddy Zubey’s “four-minute offense” sealed the deal, draining the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

“That four-minute offense is something that we practice all the time, at least once a week,” Zubey said. “So our guys know and understand the situation, staying in bounds, keeping the ball, the clock moving, things like that, being safe with the ball, two hands.”

Coming off back-to-back losses, Zubey said that heading into the bye week, being 4-2 rather than 3-3 with three straight losses is a positive, but there is still a lot to improve upon.

“We had our transfers that played tonight,” Zubey said. “They all were successful when they were out there, but we’re just going to continue to grow.”

Box Score

NOTE: View any scoring highlight by clicking on the corresponding bullet point.

First Quarter

• 2027 K Jax Snyder (Saguaro) 35-yard field goal is good. (0-3, 6:41)
• 2027 QB Anthony Palka (Higley) rushed for a 3-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (7-3, 2:09)

Second Quarter 

• 2026 QB Gunner Fagrell (Higley) pass complete to 2026 WR Daniel Zubey (Higley) for a 10-yard touchdown. 2-point conversion is good. (15-3, 11:27)
• 2026 K Kaden Olson (Higley) 34-yard field goal is good. (18-3, 2:16)

Third Quarter

• 2028 RB Rylan Irwin (Higley) rushed for a 8-yard touchdown. 2-point conversion is no good. (24-3, 6:29)
• 2027 RB Brig Randall (Saguaro) rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (24-10, 0:28)

Fourth Quarter

• 2026 QB Marcel Jones (Saguaro) rushed for a 43-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (24-17, 3:55)

TEAM	1ST QTR	2ND QTR	3RD QTR	4TH QTR	FINAL
Higley	7	11	6	0	24
Saguaro	3	0	7	7	17

Key Plays

• Higley kicked an onside and recovered it after scoring its second touchdown of the game near the beginning of the second quarter. The Knights proceeded to march down the field and wound up in the red zone. Fagrell fumbled a snap, and Saguaro was able to fall on it, but the Sabercats weren’t able to make anything out of the opportunity. Senior linebacker Adam Cooper blitzed down the middle and brought down 2027 Saguaro running back Brig Randall for a loss, forcing the Sabercats to punt.

• Late in the third quarter, 2027 Saguaro quarterback Ashton Pannell completed a 19-yard pass across the middle to 2026 tight end Nikolai Procopio, who extended the ball to the 1-yard line, setting up the Sabercats first touchdown of the game.

The Standouts

2027 Higley Defensive Back Nasim Eason

Not only did Eason recover an onside kick in the first half, but he had multiple pass breakups as well. In particular, Eason broke up a pass late in the second quarter that prevented Saguaro from scoring a touchdown before halftime. Eason already has several Division I offers. There’s no doubt that the tape from his junior season will only help more come in.

2028 Higley Running Back Rylan Irwin

Irwin is small but mighty. At 5-foot-7, 175 pounds, Irwin saw a significant snap increase in Friday night’s win due to the absence of 2027 running back Antonio Young. Irwin not only recorded his second touchdown of the season but also broke free for several explosive runs. Irwin finished the game with 17 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown.

Sound Off

Higley head coach Eddy Zubey on what makes 2027 defensive back Nasim Eason so talented: “He’s just so long and he’s so lengthy and he’s super quick.”

2027 Higley defensive back Nasim Eason on the defense’s performance as a whole: “Man, I feel like we play great every week. You know, there’s always things we can clean up, but it’s really everybody doing their assignments, their one-11, coaches drawing up great schemes, so it’s really a team effort, man. I love these guys.”