It was bright neon vs. a full whiteout and Hillcrest Huskies vs. Highland Rams. The portable stadium lights shone down on the field, while both sides prepared for an exciting and action-packed football game on Friday night. A well-fought battle by both teams led to the Rams winning the game 41 to 17 against the Huskies. 

At seven o’clock, Highland kicked off to the Huskies. Many people expected Highland to leave Hillcrest in the dust, but the Huskies had something to say about that. Hillcrest quickly moved the ball up the field, and with 10:34 left in the first quarter, scored off a run that slipped through the Ram’s defense. This caught Highland off guard and left them in shock for a moment. 

Highland’s Paul Clark said, “Hillcrest’s first touchdown was daunting, but we just had to regroup as a team and play the game one play at a time.”

But the Rams recollected themselves and prepared to receive the ball. And just 13 seconds later, Highland’s Colton White scored the first touchdown for the Ram’s off of a beautiful kick return. This quickly rejuvenated  Highland’s players and fans. They kicked to the Huskies filled with newfound energy.

Hillcrest received the ball and once again advanced up the field. Then out of nowhere, a Hillcrest player ran through the defense and made a 50-yard play. This put the Huskies on the five-yard line, and in a position to score easily. Highland’s defense fought to keep them from getting into the end-zone but were unsuccessful. Hillcrest sneaked past the Rams and scored once more with 7:16 left in the first. The rest of the quarter went by with Highland trailing Hillcrest by 7 points. 

Clark thought that the first half could have gone better.

Clark said, “ The first half really put us in check. It helped us to realize that we have to earn everything we have and it takes hard work for that.”

The Rams went into the second quarter slightly crestfallen, but with a fight still in them. 

The second quarter began with excitement. Highland’s number two, Ben Boren, had a 30-yard run that placed the Rams on the 15-yard line. This made the student and parent section of the crowd go wild. Then only one minute after this, number 12, Hunter Lambert, ran into the end-zone to give Highland their second touchdown. The score was 14-13, with the Huskies still in the lead. Highland still needed one more touchdown to steal that lead, and that is exactly what happened. After a few long minutes of little action, Boren once again took off with the Hillcrest defense chasing helplessly after him.  He scored the highly needed touchdown for Highland off of an amazing 45-yard run with 2:33 left in the half.

Boren felt that his touchdown helped his team to get back in the game.

Boren said, “I think that when I scored we really needed it. We needed something to get us going, and I think that’s what happened. We need to get our confidence back, and we did.”

 Now with the tables turned, Hillcrest trailed Highland by 7 points. 

With only two minutes left before halftime, both teams looked for another touchdown. Hillcrest looking to tie it up, and Highland looking to secure the first half. These two minutes proved to be very stressful for the Rams. The Huskies advanced steadily up the field, while also losing two of their players to injuries. They successfully completed a 25-yard throw and a 15-yard run, which put them in range of scoring. But Highland took a stand and held them back until the Huskies’ only option was a field goal. Hillcrest took that chance and put it in. This ended the half and made the score 21-17 with Highland in the lead. The Rams walked off the field with cheers from their fans to congratulate them.

The halftime passed with a performance by the Hillcrest Drill Team, a Mini Cheer Clinic, and the Varsity Cheer Squad also gave the crowd a fun show. While this was entertaining, everyone was ready for the game to resume.

The third quarter began with number 65, Nalu Mack, kicking off to the Huskies. Hillcrest muffed the ball, but then recovered it. Hillcrest turned the ball over to Highland, and the Rams had their first play of the second half. It did not last long when Hunter Lambert fumbled and the Huskies pounced on the ball with eight minutes left in the third. But Lambert made up for his fumble when he ran for 30-yards two minutes later. His run set Highland up for another touchdown with 4:24 left in the third. Number 20, Nephi Hosea, scored a great touchdown putting Highland even further into the lead, with 27 points. Hosea’s touchdown ended the third quarter in style with the fans crazy with joy.

The fourth quarter started in exactly the opposite of how the third began, and it brought a lot of excitement. Hillcrest fumbled the ball, and Highland jumped on the opportunity to snatch it away. The Rams crept up the field slow and steady, yard by yard. And just when it seemed they might have to turn the ball over number 10, Paul Clark, broke through the defense running full speed toward the other end of the field. He ran a 90-yard touchdown with 6:49 left in the last quarter to make the score 33 to 17. Highland was winning by a landslide and wasn’t looking back. The next five minutes passed with Highland stopping Hillcrest from making any progress whatsoever. Then with one minute left until the final whistle blew, Clark once again busted out a 50-yard run that ended up with another touchdown and Highlands fans going ecstatic.

Clark was glad his touchdowns contributed to Highland’s win. 

Clark said, “ I think the two touchdowns at the end took away any momentum that Hillcrest had and helped solidify our win. It also gave the fans what they wanted to see, and created excitement.” 

With only 60 seconds left until the game was over, Highland was winning by 41 to 17. Leaving Hillcrest in the dust just as expected. The whistle blew, and the team and fans cheered with joy over their newest win. 

Boren said at the end of the game, “ The game didn’t really go as well as we thought it was going to. Even though it was ugly, a win is a win.”

Highland played extremely well and deserved their win over the Hillcrest Huskies.

Make sure to get to Highland’s next game on September 13th, where they will be playing the Salem Hills Skyhawks. The game will start at seven o’clock and will be held at Highland High School.