Anthony Palka's 5 TD Runs Lift Higley Past Casteel 43-42

The Higley Knights out-dueled the Casteel Colts 43-42 in a game that was decided by a matter of a few plays.

Heading into this game, it was extra personal for Higley.

Last season, Casteel knocked the Knights out of the playoffs, and it left a bad taste in their mouths since then.

Higley head coach Eddy Zubey mentioned that playing from start to finish was a big point of emphasis in this matchup.

“Last year Casteel took us out of the playoffs,” Zubey said. “We were up 10 in the fourth quarter and lost; we talked about playing a full game.”

Kicking off the game, it looked like the Colts might have run away with it.

On the opening drive, 2027 quarterback Tee Smith hit his number one target, 2027 wide receiver Troy Jauregui, for a 39-yard completion to set the Colts up near the goal line.

A few plays later, 2029 running back Makai Mallory would run in for a 3-yard score.

Following the opening drive touchdown, Higley was able to rattle off a nice drive of their own.

The drive consisted of getting the ball in multiple players' hands.

2027 athlete Anthony Palka would cap off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown. Higley also went on to convert a two-point conversion to give them a one-point lead.

In the second quarter, both teams managed to put together another touchdown drive before halftime.

For Casteel, it would be Smith lobbing up a pass as he was hit to Mallory, who would go on to score a 33-yard touchdown.

In a similar fashion to their first touchdown drive, Higley marched down the field.

Then once again it was Palka who scored a touchdown from the Wildcat formation to give the Knights a 15-14 lead at halftime.

Both teams got off to a slow start in the first 24 minutes of the game, but the second half would be insanity.

On the very first play of the second half, 2027 running back Jaxon Watkins broke free for a 65-yard run and set the Knights up in prime scoring position.

Then, you guessed it, Palka would score his third touchdown of the night, this time from two yards out.

Casteel only needed a few minutes to fire back.

Throwing his second touchdown of the night, Smith launched yet another deep ball that landed in the hands of 2028 wide receiver Trendon Washington to score a 43-yard touchdown.

The back-and-forth between both teams continued.

With seven minutes left in the third quarter, Higley extended their lead.

The Knights offense kept moving with efficiency, and the ball once again landed up in Casteel's territory with a chance to score.

Seeming like he was playing on Madden rookie mode, Palka was given the ball again, and he danced his way through defenders to score his fourth touchdown of the night from 20 yards out.

While he could’ve taken all the credit for himself, Palka immediately mentioned the team around him for his success.

“It’s more the belief in my teammates,” Palka said. “I couldn’t do it without my receivers blocking, my offensive line blocking, my coaches believing in me.”

For Casteel, they knew they needed to stay aggressive if they wanted to keep up.

The last touchdown of the third quarter saw the Colts go for it on fourth down, and it paid off.

Scoring his third total score of the game, Mallory was given the ball and sprinted downfield to score a 45-yard touchdown.

After three quarters, Higley led 29-27.

In the fourth quarter, it didn't even take two minutes for both teams to put more points on the board.

On one of the first plays of the quarter, 2028 quarterback Cayden Schlueter lofted a pass into the end zone that was caught by 2027 wide receiver Jordyn Harris for a 19-yard touchdown.

Early in the fourth, the Knights held a 36-27 lead.

That momentum would be very short-lived.

The Colts, knowing they needed a big play, relied on one of the best players on the team to score six.

Scoring off the kickoff return, Jauregui broke multiple tackles and found his way into the end zone to once again close the gap.

Casteel’s defense would also come up huge and get a crucial stop to give their offense a chance to take the lead.

The next drive for the Colts was starting to look grim as, after multiple penalties, they saw themselves in a 3rd and 26 situation.

Looking like all hope may have been lost, Smith did the unthinkable.

Making magic happen with his legs, Smith escaped the pocket and scampered his way into the end zone for a ridiculous 54-yard touchdown.

The touchdown gave Casteel a 42-36 lead with three minutes to go in the game.

Already having done it plenty of times before, Higley didn’t fold and put together another methodical drive.

Even though the game was on the line, Schlueter said that everyone on Higley believes they can go down and score every time.

“We believe in every person on the team,” Schlueter said. “We just have the belief we are going to score every time.”

The Knights did just that to secure the victory.

After marching down the field, Higley knew to give the ball to one person to go and win them the game.

Scoring his fifth touchdown of the game, Palka was given the ball and scored a 14-yard touchdown to give his team the lead and the victory.

Both teams fought to the very last whistle, but in the end it was Higley defending their home turf and securing the win.

A lot has been said about what this Higley team could be; for them, it’s showing others that they don’t just have potential, but that they are already here.

“Everyone was saying we have a lot of potential,” Palka said. “It’s not just potential anymore, it’s talent.”

Next up: 2-1 Higley looks to extend their winning streak when they take on 1-2 Highland. 0-3 Casteel looks to get their first win of the season when they face 3-0 Hamilton.