Jack McCarthy is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Queen Creek High School for AZPreps365.com

Even with a solid showing from Jayshon Liles and the Queen Creek defense, Highland’s abilities on both sides of the ball proved too much on Thursday in Queen Creek, as the Hawks beat the Bulldogs 42-13.

The Highland defense allowed no offensive points until 4 minutes to go in the game, when Queen Creek quarterback Tait Reynolds ran for a 4-yard touchdown, and their offense came alive in the second half.

The game started as a defensive slugfest, going scoreless through the first quarter. On the first play of the game, Highland could not get the snap right and Liles recovered, sending the Bulldogs into enemy territory.

But the offense sputtered instantly, with a poor snap leading to a punt situation, giving the ball right back to Highland.

The score does not tell the story of the game defensively. The defense held for as long as it could. Highland is one of the better offensive teams in the state, and the Bulldog defense only allowed 14 points in the first half.

Liles was quick to praise his teammates on the defensive side.

“They just keep me going,” Liles said. “We do it for each other.”

The only points Queen Creek scored through three-and-a-half quarters was due to a pick six by Jet Berry, showing just how important the defense was Thursday.

The Bulldogs were in a hard-fought battle through all of the first half. They went into halftime only down one score, 14-7.

The Bulldogs got the ball to start the second half but once they hit midfield, they fumbled the ball, giving momentum over to the Hawks.

On their first play, quarterback Kalen Fisher threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Greg Toler Jr., pushing their lead to two scores.

Queen Creek’s offense could not get anything going for most of the game. The run game was quickly stifled by Highland’s linebackers and linemen, and the passing game was completely locked up.

“We have to get better,” coach Travis Schureman said. “We have to find a way to finish things. ”

Schureman was adamant about self-inflicted errors.

“We move the ball and then we turn it over,” Schureman said. Almost every time the Bulldogs got the ball in enemy territory, they gave up the ball.

Highland’s offense really started to hit its stride in the third quarter. It outscored the Bulldogs 21-0 and continued to stop Reynolds’ ability to run and throw.

Even when the game seemed out of reach, fullback and linebacker Dane Gomez tried to keep his teammates’ mentality in the right spot.

“At the end of the day, no matter what the score is, you always want to fight for the top, and you just never want to stop,” Gomez said.

Gomez was a fan favorite today. When he got a big first down, there was a louder applause than usual.

“I had all my family from out of town,” Gomez said. “I just felt the whole city on my back.”

The Bulldogs (3-6) will be at home on November 3 against the American Leadership Academy Patriots (7-2), another top-10 team in the state. They are looking to grab a huge momentum win to continue their push to get into the playoffs.

The postseason remains on the minds of coaches and players.

“They’re very well in the picture,” Schureman said. “This week we just have to take it one day at a time and get ready for ALA next week.”