Cameron Dean is a ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover North High School for AZPreps365.com

AVONDALE- North High took advantage of a flummoxed, error-laden Westview High squad thatcouldn't seem to catch anything but hard feelings, and the Mustangs triumphed 35-12. 

A huge factor in North High's success was Westview's egregious offense. The Knights had two safeties in the first quarter, one in the first 45 seconds of the game and the second coming at the 7:33 mark in the first quarter. On both occasions Westview launched lofty snaps that sailed over the helmet of its quarterback, causing him to barrel for the ball and losing it in the endzone. 

Late in the first quarter, North quarterback Caleb Miler threw to his brother, Cylan Miller, who plucked the pass out the air but was hit hard and fumbled. Roughing the passer was called on the play, though, which put the Mustangs at the 6-yard line. North took advantage, with J.J. Herrera bulldozing through the line and scoring a touchdown to make the score 11-0. 

With seven minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Mustangs fell short of a touchdown and settled for a field goal that put them up 14-0. On the ensuing drive, Westview snapped the ball too high once more and fumbled, allowing the Mustangs to pilfer the pigskin. From the three-yard line Caleb Miller then danced into the endzone, spinning off a defender to notch another touchdown and put North High up 21-0. 

Westview finally etched a number on the scoreboard with less than five minutes remaining in the first half off a 50-yard pass. Their extra point attempt was blocked, making the score 21-6 at halftime. 

In the third quarter, the Mustangs strengthened their defense, recording two interceptions versus the Knights, who continued to throw high arc passes into traffic. After the first interception, North High was able to put a good drive together ending with a Miller-to-Miller touchdown pass that put North High up 28-6. 

Midway throught the fourth quarter the Mustangs sealed the game off a pass to Layne Marquez, who broke a tackle and dove into the endzone to make th margin 35-12. 

Frustrations were high for Westview in the fourth quarter, having all of their plays snuffed out and extinguished. The Knights' only real gains were off broken plays where the quarterback would scramble and gain about 20 yards.

After an interception by North High, a Westview player trucked an offensive player the next play. An altercation then broke out, stopping the game for 20 minutes. The fight led to three Westview players, and one North High player, to be ejected. 

The Mustangs finished 6-4, placing fourth in the 6A Metro division. Despite a winning record, North High fell short of making the playoffs. Regardless, Coach Mark Mejia is excited for the future of his team. "We are going to use this as motivation to get where we want to: the playoffs," Coach Mejia said.