Andrew Hayslett is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism assigned to cover Xavier Preparatory Academy for AZPreps365.com 

Growing pains were a theme for Xavier Preparatory Academy in its hard-fought loss against Higley. 

After being up 21-8 in the third quarter, Higley Junior quarterback Ava Taliaferro threw a 60-yard pass to Freshman wide receiver Jayla Freeman that turned the momentum in favor of the Knights allowing them to score 31 unanswered points to win the game. 

The game ended in a loss for the Gators with the score being 39-21. The Gators fell to 1-3 while Higley advanced its record to 3-1. It was the first time the schools had faced each other in the short history of flag football. The game was played in front of a good crowd with stands being about a third full. 

“It was good. We're getting better. We're a young team. We knew it was going to be a building year, so we're doing alright,” Xavier head coach Michael Patterson said. 

“With our first time playing them, we had to get adjusted to their style. They're a fast team. So what we did was I think we kind of got surprised at how fast they were. So what we did was put speed with speed and they're a great team, great athletes,” Higley head coach Charlean Bell-Taylor said.

At the half, it appeared it would be a low-scoring game as the score was 14-8. The Xavier defense stopped four of Higley’s five first-half drives with two turnovers forced, a punt and the half-ending drive. It appeared that would continue in the second half when Freshman Isabel Pires intercepted a Taliaferro pass on Higley’s opening possession. But that changed when the Knights scored on their next three possessions.

“I told them just play your game and hey, do what we do, play Higley ball,” Bell-Taylor said. “That is playing together, playing as a team, sticking together, cheering each other on, one play at a time, being consistent, consistent with our throws, pulling flags, what we practice on every day, putting it in game mode.”

Taliaferro threw all over the Xavier defense totalling over 200 unofficial yards and four touchdowns. Her favorite targets were Cadence Murdough who totaled approximately 57 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns, Maci Kerns who finished with about 70 yards receiving and Jayla Freeman who had unofficially 70 reception yards and 2 receiving touchdowns.

“Thank you all to my receivers. I mean, they were the ones keeping me up, giving me the plays, the routes they thought would be there, and helped me out a lot,” Higley junior quarterback Ava Taliaferro said. “They went up and got some great catches.”

“They adjusted really well to our offense, and then they found a way just to throw it to their tall receivers over our girls,” Patterson said.

The offense that was clicking early for Xavier stumbled in the second half. They recorded a touchdown on their second drive in the half but things started to go awry as junior quarterback Ana Matuz-Moran who had already thrown for two touchdowns and rushed for another threw three interceptions in Xavier’s next four drives.

“I'm just proud of my teammates, how they gave effort today. We didn't give up,” Xavier Junior wide receiver and defensive end Ruth Reyes said. “Our heads were still up and we still had energy at the end of the game.”

There was an odd occurrence in the second half as a Higley defensive coach was ejected from the game after saying something to an official. Higley had six penalties for 65 yards including 15 on the ejection compared to Xavier’s five penalties for 35 yards.

“There was nothing that I heard and I think he just asked a question. I guess, wasn't feeling a question and decided it's one of those things where it's misfortune,” Bell-Taylor said.

Higley has two off weeks before it hosts Hamilton on Oc.t 15. Xavier goes on to play three road games at Mountain Ridge, Perry and Tucson on Oct. 1, 15 and 22, respectively, before it hosts Desert Vista on the Oct. 24.