Pinnacle’s Top Playmakers in High-Scoring Rivalry Showdown

<p>The 6A Pinnacle Pioneers played host to their rival, the 5A Horizon Huskies, on Thursday night in a highly anticipated matchup between two playoff-hopeful teams. In a game that featured two of the top quarterbacks in Arizona's 2025 class, it's no surprise that there were 105 total points put on the board through 48 minutes of football. The back-and-forth battle eventually came to a point where it felt unavoidable that whoever got the ball last would end up winning.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">PrepRedzone's Second-Ranked QB Shines</h2>    <p>With 1:49 left in the game, down four points, [player_tooltip player_id='368975' first='Wyatt' last='Horton'] was given the ball back on his own 27-yard-line. At this point, Horton was already 19-for-27 with 416 yards and <strong>five touchdowns</strong>. Spreading the ball around as he had done so well all night, he completed his first five passes of the drive and ended up 6-for-8 with 64 yards — setting up the only run called that ended up getting them the go-ahead score with under 20 seconds left. Horton was calm, cool, and collected as he led a textbook two-minute drill to push his team to 3-1; the only loss coming in Week 1 to the top-ranked team in New Mexico.</p>   <p>Horton showed exactly why he's our #2 quarterback in the class of 2025 — consistently extending plays with his legs, he's able to keep his upper half controlled while on the move and delivers a very accurate ball. He completed 71% of his 35 attempts and many of those came outside of the pocket. His ability to read a defense mixed with his impressive arm strength is a true handful for secondaries, not just because of his ability to get the ball over the top of the defense, but also possessing the strength to zip the ball into tight windows that most quarterbacks wouldn't even think of testing. Maybe Horton's most impressive trait is between his ears. The big-bodied, big-armed Idaho State commit is not only incredibly football-smart but seemingly very humble too.</p>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A 54-51 win over your rival, the <a href="https://twitter.com/BengalGridiron?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BengalGridiron</a> commit <a href="https://twitter.com/PinnaclePioneer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PinnaclePioneer</a> QB <a href="https://twitter.com/wyatthorton_2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wyatthorton_2</a> battling cramps throws for 5-TDs and doing it on Military Appreciation night makes for a solid Thursday evening <a href="https://t.co/At4ebUxWE6">pic.twitter.com/At4ebUxWE6</a></p>— Kevin McCabe (@KevinMcCabe987) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinMcCabe987/status/1837001551367356474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2024</a></blockquote>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">A Three-Headed Monster Emerges in the Wide Receiver Corps</h2>   <p>The Pioneers had a whopping <strong>three different receivers all finish this Thursday night showdown with over 130 yards and a touchdown</strong>. With that kind of firepower on the outside and an explosive all-around quarterback to get them the ball, this offense will no doubt be a tough out for even the best defenses in the state.</p>   <p><strong>Alex Lugo:</strong> <em>6 rec / 143 yds / 1 TD / 24 y/</em>r — 5'10" 180 lbs</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Listed on MaxPreps as a running back, Lugo did his damage from the slot in this game. Playing in a sophisticated offense with lots of motion and misdirection, he's often the player in motion and has shown great footwork both dancing around the quarterback to confuse the defense and through his routes. That refined footwork gives him plenty of separation, even when he isn't targeted. Lugo's quick twitch can also make defenders miss with ease, only adding to his explosivity. A player who's usually on the field when the offense goes five-wide, he might force his play-caller to find more ways to get the ball in his hands.</li> </ul>   <p><strong>Joshua Pinder:</strong> <em>5 rec / 131 yds / 1 TD / 26 y/r</em> — 6'2" 175 lbs</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Pinder has a big frame and impressive length at 6'2" which gives him a massive catch radius. With his long strides, he has the top-end speed to win the footrace to the endzone whenever he has a clear lane. He still has some room to add some weight to his frame but still manages to come down with 50/50 balls more often than not. Pinder's strong hands really shine when his quarterback gives him a chance on the outside and he's shown great body control when coming back to the ground. Only a junior, Pinder is a name to keep an eye on as he continues to come into his own. </li> </ul>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='369026' first='Keenan' last='Johnson']:</strong> <em>6 rec / 134 yds / 1 TD / 22 y/r</em> — 5'10" 175 lbs</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Johnson is a quick-footed wideout who clearly has a nice feel for the game. Seemingly always finding the open spot when the play breaks down and he sees his quarterback leaving the pocket. Those quick feet make him difficult to bring down after the catch and at just 5'10", his strength will surprise you. He's really effective in the quick game, running efficient routes while consistently keeping timing with his quarterback. </li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Instinctive Playmakers: A Linebacker Duo to Watch</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Dillon Aakre plays the game so fast and instinctively that it feels like he's involved in just about every play where Pinnacle's defense was on the field. A physical linebacker who's not afraid to use his speed to hurl his body at the ball carrier, he consistently disrupts plays and sets the tone for the defense with his relentless pursuit. I thought he did an exceptional job with rushing the passer without foregoing his run assignment. It can be difficult to play the run while you're planning on attacking the quarterback, but Aakre was able to make it look easy. Paired with Pimbert in the middle of this defense, they make for an incredibly fast and versatile force. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">A prospect I've been excited to follow through his senior season, [player_tooltip player_id='1145510' first='Owen' last='Pimbert'] has an incredibly high football IQ. Evident every time he steps on the field, he has a knack for following the flow of the defense and letting that take him to the football. Once he identifies who has it, he doesn't hesitate at all to attack with force. Pimbert has a lot of strength and a strong base which really shine when he's rushing the passer. Able to use his strength to break through the interior of the offensive line and his speed to win on the outside, he's a player coaches can move all around and ask him to do different things. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Spotlighting Additional Standouts from the Victors</h2>   <p>With an offense that put up 54 points and a defense that faced an uphill battle due to several special teams' blunders yet still managed to come up big in key moments, there was no shortage of players who left their mark on this game for Pinnacle. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='954375' first='Dean' last='Vincent']</strong> may have only finished with five tackles in the box score, but he left his fingerprints all over this matchup. Constantly causing havoc in Horizon's backfield, he just so happened to be facing an incredibly athletic quarterback. <strong>Brayden Fricke</strong> did a great job in Pinnacle's secondary, finishing with 10 tackles, one for loss, and one pass defensed. Very physical for a defensive back, Fricke did a great job of bringing some explosive wideouts down in the open field. Offensively, both of their tackles — <strong>Cade Maggiora</strong> and <strong>Michael Laufenberger</strong> — did a nice job throughout the night both in pass protection and against the run. Asked to protect the passer more than 40 times throughout the game, they were both consistent and very good with their hands. With an impressive 675 total yards of offense, Pinnacle let everyone know they won't go down without a fight.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Chapter_NEXT/status/1837129027133358399 </div></figure>

The 6A Pinnacle Pioneers played host to their rival, the 5A Horizon Huskies, on Thursday night in a highly anticipated matchup between two playoff-hopeful teams. In a game that featured two of the top quarterbacks in Arizona's 2025 class, it's no surprise that there were 105 total points put on the board through 48 minutes of football. The back-and-forth battle eventually came to a point where it felt unavoidable that whoever got the ball last would end up winning.