Head Football Analyst Cody Cameron is in his third year with ArizonaVarsity, and he brings a unique mix of playing, broadcasting and analytical experience to the team. Follow him on Twitter HERE, and make sure to Follow Arizona Varsity on:
On paper, this was one of the top Week 5 matchups in the state. An undefeated 6A Highland Hawks teams vs a Queen Creek Bulldog team loaded with Division 1 talent. After dropping their last two games, the Bulldogs needed this one badly. Led by a strong performance from their defensive unit, the Bulldogs held the Hawks to only 14 points, well below Highland's average of scoring 38 points per game. Queen Creek cruised to a 24-14 victory, the big road win moves the Bulldogs to (3-2) on the year.
Standout Players
Queen Creek Class of 2022 ATH Payton Barlow (5'11, 175)
Two years ago, ArizonaVarsity writer Andy Luberda called me up to tell me that Payton Barlow was going to be a monster for the Bulldogs in the near future. He was right. Barlow gashed the Hawks defense, rushing for a career high 147 yards on 25 carries. Barlow also came away with the play of the night defensively for the Bulldogs when he undercut a curl-route for an interception late in the 4th Quarter. Tough kid who's a big-time playmaker for the Bulldogs.
Queen Creek Class of 2022 QB Devin Brown (6'4, 185)
I thought Devin Brown was phenomenal in this game. Going up against a Highland defense that has shut down opposing offenses all year, Devin Brown made plays to win this football game. He connected on multiple 3rd down throws to extend drives, his throws were crisp and accurate, and most importantly, he did not turnover the football. Brown finished with 143 passing yards and two touchdowns. Nice showing from the USC commit.
Queen Creek Class of 2021 DB Krew Jackson (6'5, 200)
Krew Jackson has made some bone-jarring hits this year and those hits kept coming against Highland. The Senior 3-Star safety does a great job of reading his keys and filling the alley. When Queen Creek goes with their DB heavy packages, they'll sometimes put Jackson in the middle of the box and let him roam around to make plays. He was deadly in that spot on Friday night, consistently disrupting pass attempts over the short and intermediate middle. Jackson also recovered a fumble in the 2nd Quarter for the Bulldogs defense.
Highland Class of 2022 Safety Ammon Allen (6'3, 205)
I broke down what I saw from Allen's game in a video below. This young man is a tremendous athlete who's a true sideline-to-sideline player on defense. He does a great job of running his feet through tackles, he covers well, and he is consistently making plays for the Hawks defensively. He's a player who has multiple division 1 offers and in my opinion, he deserves many more. Whichever college program lands him will be getting one heck of a player.
Highland Class of 2021 RB Max Davis (5'11, 195)
Davis scored all of Highland's touchdowns on Friday night, finishing with 67 total yards and two touchdowns (One rushing and One receiving). Davis has been a workhorse for the Hawks this year as he currently leads the 6A in rush yards with 826 yards on the ground.
Cody's Postgame Show
Click the link below to see Cody Cameron's notes from the game
Who to Watch: Queen Creek Class of 2023 DE Porter Reynolds (6'0, 225)
This young man is a monster!! Strong, nice first step, and gives relentless effort on every single snap. The young sophomore finished with 5 total tackles and a sack.
Quotable
Queen Creek junior RB/DB Payton Barlow on the win: "It's awesome man. We took a hard loss last week but we got back at it all week (at practice). We worked hard and got results."
Up Next
(2-2) Red Mountain @ (3-2) Queen Creek
(4-0) Hamilton @ (4-1) Highland
