By Brittany Bowyer
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PHOENIX — It was an upsetting night for the no. 7 Pinnacle Pioneers on Friday, as they fell to the no. 10 Higley Knights 33-32. Despite maintaining the lead for more than 59 minutes of the game, Pinnacle just couldn’t hold on until the end.

“(Higley)’s a very, very talented offensive team,” Pinnacle Head Coach Dana Zupke said. “They do a really good job over there and they showed a lot of grit. They didn’t give up and they kept plugging away. We couldn’t put them away tonight. Look at the character of them. They could have laid down at any point and they didn’t. They got an opportunity and they took advantage of it.”

Starting out the game, Pinnacle was able to win the coin toss and elected to defer until the second half.

On Higley’s opening drive of the game, the ball was fumbled and recovered by Pinnacle senior Braxton Lowe for a scoop and score. The kick by senior Garret Oliver was good, giving Pinnacle the early 7-0 lead with 7:50 remaining on the first quarter.

Pinnacle got the ball and was able to make its way down the field. Capitalizing on the drive, the Pioneers were able to score on a pass from junior Grayson Bull to junior Maxwell Libman. Knowing this would likely be a close game, the Pioneers elected to go for two and converted. With 3:31 remaining in the first quarter, Pinnacle had stretched the lead to 15-0.

Higley’s following drive would result in an interception by sophomore Trey Fricke with 11:09 left in the second quarter.

Pinnacle’s possession resulted in a field goal attempt, but it would be blocked by senior Jorryn Harris.

The blocked field goal gave Higley some life, as they were able to come out and answer by quickly moving down the field for a touchdown. Senior Antonio Young was able to punch it in for the Knights, cutting away at Pinnacle’s lead. Higley elected to go for two and converted on another run by Young, making it 15-8 with 8:59 remaining in the second quarter.

Later in the quater, Higley was picked off by senior Kash Silva with 2:08 left before the half. It set Pinnacle up with great field position, allowing Bull to find Libman once again in the endzone for another touchdown. Oliver’s kick was good, making it 22-8 with just :34 remaining before the half.

“Our defense, they make big plays,” Zupke said. “They’re a big-play group. There’s a lot of talent over there, and when they’re on, we’re really good over there.”

Coming back out, Pinnacle got possession of the ball to start things off, but it would be a short-lived possession. The Pioneers were picked off by Harris early in the third quarter, setting Higley up with great field position. Higley got the ball into Young’s hands once again, and he was able to take it in for six, making it 22-14 with 10:31 remaining in the third quarter. The Knights went for two, but the Pioneers stood strong and kept them out of the end zone.

On the following kickoff, the ball was fumbled by Pinnacle and recovered in the endzone for a safety. Chopping away at the lead, Higley was now only trailing 22-16 with 10:21 still in the third quarter.

More trouble ensued for Pinnacle on the following drive, as the Pioneers were picked off by senior Nasim Eason with about 10:10 remaining in the third quarter. but they were able to minimize the damage by forcing a quick change of possession.

Pinnacle got the ball back and was able to extend the lead on a field goal from Oliver, making it 25-16 with 8:25 remaining in the third quarter.

With 6:12 remaining in the quarter, senior quarterback Anthony Palka was able to break free to take the ball in for a touchdown to cut away at Pinnacle’s lead. Higley’s extra point attempt by senior Gabriel Ferrero was good, making it 25-23.

Pinnacle was able to answer early in the fourth quarter with a touchdown to push the lead back out. Bull connected with senior Jalen Smith for six, before Oliver’s kick was up and in. With 10:12 remaining in the game, it was 32-23 Pioneers.

Higley’s following possession would result in a field goal, cutting the lead to 32-26 with 7:03 remaining to play.

Later in the game, working with a short clock, the Knights were able to move quickly from one end of the field to the other. With 55.3 seconds left in the game, Higley was able to take its first lead of the night. Palka found senior Kam Richardson, who took it in to tie things up. The extra point attempt by Ferrero was good, making it 33-32.

Pinnacle’s offense made a solid push down the field to try to answer, but the Pioneers were ultimately picked off by senior Will Houglum to end the game.

While the loss is tough to swallow for the Pioneers, their season doesn’t end here. They’ll bump back down to the 6A playoff bracket where they’ve been given the no. 2 seed. Pinnacle will now prepare to face no. 7 Mesa next week.

“I just really believe this is a really special group,” Zupke said. “We’ve had kind of an adverse season with different injuries and just different things that have happened and bad timing, and they just keep showing up and keep playing and believing. So I want to try to help them keep playing, and hopefully bring home a 6A Championship.”

Brittany Bowyer is a Report for America corps member, covering sports for Independent Newsmedia in Arizona. Report for America places talented journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions.