A high-stakes 6A battle is set to ensue Friday night as the No. 5-ranked Highland Hawks pay a visit to regional rival and No. 3-ranked Mountain Pointe in this week’s AZPreps365 Game of the Week.

Highland (5-1, 1-0) comes into Friday’s contest on full rest after a bye last weekend. The bye, however, also gave the Hawks one extra week to think about the 56-6 thumping they received at the hands of Perry two weekends ago.

In that game a stifling Perry defense held the Hawks to just a net total 88 yards of offense and dominated up front, keeping the Hawks to five yards rushing and sacking quarterback Kaleb Herbert four times.

Behind a 380-yard performance from quarterback Brock Purdy, the Pumas exploited the Hawks defense, putting up 516 yards of offense en route to a decisive victory.

Aside from the mulligan, Highland has put together an all-around impressive season led by a slew of playmakers on both sides of the ball.

Perhaps the most dynamic of these playmakers is senior middle linebacker and running back Jacob Wood. Wood has proven himself to be a force on both sides of the ball, compiling 337 rush yards on 48 carries and three offensive touchdowns to go along with 36 defensive tackles, two interceptions and forced fumble.

“We have won five games because we have guys like Jake Wood on our team,” said Highland head coach Brock Farrel. “They’re smart kids, they’re willing to do what needs to be done in order for them to be competitive, and they’re talented. Jake Wood is the best example of what we’ve got.”

Wood leads a Hawks offense that relies heavily on a strong run game. Along with Wood, junior running back Kohner Cullimore has had a strong season of his own, averaging 5.8 yards per carry while finding the end zone seven times to lead the team.

The defensive attack for Highland features a number of standouts as well. Senior linebacker Tate Stevens leads the team with 52 tackles, and defensive end Noah Evans has been a force up front, collecting five sacks on the year. Additionally, cornerback Jalen Johnson has made his presence felt, tallying 31 tackles and four interceptions, wich is tied for first in 6A.

Despite giving up 56 points to Perry last weekend, Highland’s defense is allowing just 18.8 points per game to opponents and has led the way for the Hawks in 2017.

“This year we hang our hat on our defense,” said Farrel. “They’re mature, they know what needs to be done, they’re physical and they’re smart kids. They are the anchor of our team, we have no qualms about that. We’re going to go as far as they’re going to take us.”

Mountain Pointe (5-1, 1-0) enters Friday riding a four-game win streak, its most recent victory coming against regional foe Desert Vista, who the Pride knocked off 21-16 on the road last Thursday.

Running back Jakim McKinney led the way offensively for the Pride, toting the ball 12 times for 170 yards and a touchdown. Senior back Gary Bragg also eclipsed the century mark, rushing for 101 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown as well.

The defensive side of the ball was highlighted by the usual suspects in linebacker Tyre Johnson, defensive back Kenny Churchwell and lineman Shomari Hayes, who each contributed nine tackles on the evening. Hayes added 2.5 sacks for a Pride defense which conceded just 251 yards to the Thunder.

Hayes, Johnson and Churchwell have been dominant forces on the Mountain Pointe defense, combining for 117 tackles this season. Additionally, Hayes has contributed 5.5 sacks while Johnson has two interceptions and two forced fumbles to go along with a sack and a half of his own.

The Pride defense has benefited from strong contributions from others, as well, including defensive end Kenneth Lofton, who leads the team with 6.5 sacks, and defensive back Marshawn Gibson, who is tied for first in 6A in interceptions, with four.

Overall, the Mountain Pointe defense has allowed just 19.3 points and 281.5 yards per game to oppsing offenses this season.

“At Mountain Pointe, we’ve always been good defensively,” said Pride head coach Norris Vaughan. “I can’t think of any year where we didn’t have a good defensive team, and this year is no different. Our kids are really aggressive and have good technique. We’ve got some outstanding coaches on our team. They have taught these guys well.”

Like Highland, the Pride operates its offense with a heavy emphasis on the ground game, utilizing a pair of running backs in McKinney and Bragg as the focal point. McKinney leads the team in rushing with 688 yards on just 68 carries while finding the end zone 10 times. Bragg has accounted for 546 yards of his own on 88 carries and five touchdowns.

“They’re both great backs,” said Vaughan. “They’re both dynamic, they both have great speed and great ability to make people miss. They’ve meant a lot to us.”

However, the Pride also have the ability to move the ball through the air, relying on the accuracy of quarterback Nick Wallerstedt, who has misfired on just 15 of his 65 pass attempts this season. The junior has thrown for 620 yards and three touchdowns.

Friday night will be the first time the two teams have met since last season when the Hawks received a 48-0 drubbing at the hands of Mountain Pointe. The atmosphere figures to be electric as implications on both regional standings and state rankings loom large.

“I expect it to be like one of the great Friday night football games in Arizona,” said Farrel. “I told our players, that’s why you come to Highland. If you didn’t want to play in games like this, you wouldn’t come to Highland. You come here to be a part of something like that.”

Friday’s game kicks at 7 p.m. and can be streamed live at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/azpreps365/a11c5c0add and heard on the Fanatic (1580 AM and 99.3 FM).