Games of the Week

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Take a look at 5 games to watch this weekend: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Desert Edge @ Highland </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5A powerhouse Desert Edge travels down to Highland to take on the defending 6A champs. So far, Desert Edge has been rolling through their opponents solidifying themselves as a top team in 5A. Highland is fresh off a close loss against a tough Lone Peak (Utah) team, but secured a blowout 34-0 win week 1 over Desert Ridge. This could be a speed vs strength matchup, as DEHS is loaded with speedy, big play type of athletes while Highland is beefed up with bullies along the OL and DL. Defintely an intersting matchup between some of the state's best. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Desert Mountain @ Mountain View </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Desert Mountain is another top 5A team that looks lethal from all dimensions to start 2022 with a 2-0 record, with wins over Cactus and Camelback. Mountain View enters the contest 1-1 with a week 1 loss to Helix (CA) and a win last week over Mesa. Both teams are loaded with prime talent, which includes the BYU TE commit [player_tooltip player_id='110078' first='Jackson' last='Bowers'] from Mountain View and Desert Mountain's fast rising ATH [player_tooltip player_id='169419' first='Dylan' last='Tapley']. The list goes on with impressive prospects from both of these teams, needless to say there will be a ton of talent on the field at the same time this Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Higley @ Sunnyslope </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two rising QB's will go head to head on Friday night in a game that has big time shootout potential. 2025 QB [player_tooltip player_id='368904' first='Jamar' last='Malone'] from Higley has continued to impress and progress each week since his freshman season and is one of, if not the fastest rising player in the state. Sunnyslope's [player_tooltip player_id='364214' first='Luke' last='Moga'] is emerging as a legit threat with game changer ability as a 2024 prospect and shows no signs of slowing down. Both teams enter week three 2-0, and have scored a combined 178 points in 2 games. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/jamar1malone/status/1569873116687650817?s=20u0026t=zeDjGQEjWM6_8iDK9GW49g","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/jamar1malone/status/1569873116687650817?s=20&amp;t=zeDjGQEjWM6_8iDK9GW49g </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Casteel @ Williams Field </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm really not sure why there isn't more hype about Casteel. They come off 2 very impressive wins over Moutain Ridge and Upland (CA) to start the season 2-0. Williams Field also enters the contest 2-0 while being fresh off a 49-28 win over Chaparral, which included a 518 rushing yard night by RB [player_tooltip player_id='169426' first='Dylan' last='Lee']. Excellent speed on both programs as this is another game that holds shootout potential. Regardless of the outcome, both of these teams have a shot at seeing each other again in the playoffs if they continue to play along the same trajectory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Liberty @ Valor Christian (Colorado) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liberty is as hot as anyone right now, and a big part of that has been the performance of [player_tooltip player_id='115509' first='Navi' last='Bruzon']. The 2024 dual-threat QB has led Liberty to a 2-0 start and has thrown for 477 yards and 7 TD's while adding 60 yards on the ground. Valor Christian is historically a powerhouse in Colorado as well as a D1 feeding ground, which is also the alma mater of Christian McCaffrey. Despite the talent that Valor is stocked up with, they'll have a tough time containing the red hot [player_tooltip player_id='115509' first='Navi' last='Bruzon'] and putting up points against a lockdown Liberty defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->