PHOENIX-- North High School on Friday night finally had its full arsenal, and came out guns blazing against the Lion of Alhambra. The Mustangs toppled Alhambra High School, holding it scoreless on defense and scorching them on offense, defeating them 60-0. s

The team had missed a considerable amount of its players in the first two games due to injury, but this game was different, showing North High at its full strength. In the first week of football for the Mustangs they suffered a loss against Central High School 14-0 but since then have not looked back.

North High came onto the field confident, excited, and ready to dominate the game from the start. The Mustangs' first touchdown came on the game's second drive. Facing second-and-20, quarterback Caleb Miller threw a dart for 30 yards to his brother, Cylan Miller, for the touchdown.

These brothers have been playing football together since picking up the sport. They have gotten a lot of reps in together, and it showed in their game performance. The pass was beautiful, but the chemistry between this duo was what made the play so satisfying to watch.

" He is a smart quarterback," said Cylan, "and he knows how to get players open, so I am blessed to play with him."

But the player who cemented a dominant performance for the Mustangs was the lightning bolt named J.J. Herrera. Racing down the field Herrera was a blur to the defense, curling and cutting every which way. He scored two touchdowns.

Herrera's first score came in the second quarter. On the previous play, with the Mustangs knocking on the door of the goal line, Herrera fumbled. North retained possession, and Herrera put his head down like a bull about to charge as the ball was handed to him on the next play. He bulldozed through three lineman to snag the touchdown. If there's one thing Herrera has, it's heart.

" I knew I had to get one," said Herrera. "My running back coach told us if you fumble you're out, so no excuses," Herrera said. 

Herrera not only is a shifty running back but starts at linebacker on defense as well. In the second quarter he burst through Alhambra's offensive line and sacked the quarterback.

The North defense overwhelmed Alhamba's offense. On many a play Lion quarterback Roman Moreno, despite being quite swift, saw a blue jersey facing him every direction he turned.

While showing a commanding performance, North High has much on which it must improve in order to prepare for its next opponent, Mountain Ridge. North High was stricken with penalties throughout the game: holding, offsides, ineligible receivers downfield. In the second quarter a touchdown pass was waved off due to the latter penalty.

Coach Mark Mejia said before the game that the Mustangs have been working to cut down on mistakes and focusing on not beating themselves. He knows that in order to beat the tough teams, the little things will make the biggest difference.

" We are going to have to be very sharp," said Mejia, "have attention to detail, and make sure those missed assignments don't happen."