MESA- After back to back wins, Red Mountain travels to Gilbert High School to face the No. 2 quarterback in the state: Purdue commit Jack Plummer.

 

Plummer, no relation to former NFL and Arizona State quarterback Jake Plummer, enters Friday night’s game with 992 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

 

Plummer has the accuracy and field vision that is rare for a young quarterback.

 

“He really reads the routes and really reads the coverage well and he'll pick you apart,” Red Mountain head coach Mike Peterson said. “So, we've got to be very disciplined and do our assignments."

Peterson's players were sold on Plummer's skill after watching game film.

“You know, he puts a lot of balls on the dot, on the guy where they need to be,” senior cornerback and wide receiver Gerald Wilbon said.

 

Plummer is facing a Red Mountain defense that is playing its best football right now.

 

Going into the season, that defense had a lot of growing up to do in a short amount of time. As each week passes, experience is gained, which is the key to success to the team’s defensive philosophy.

 

“Our defense really, you have to be in it and live it to play it,” Peterson said. “Our defense is an intricate defense and it just takes experience and we've got a lot of juniors and some sophomores out there and it just really takes some experience before they learn it live it and understand it.”

 

After giving up 12 touchdowns in the first two games, Red Mountain has given up one in each of the past two.

 

“You know, our DBs are getting better every week, our linebackers and our D-line have been exceptional,” Wilbon said. “So, you know we're getting better at every position.”

 

Legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Confidence is contagious and so is lack of confidence, and a customer will recognize both.” The winning atmosphere is currently contagious around the Red Mountain locker room.

 

“The atmosphere has been pretty good,” Wilbon said. “You know, we step up each week at a new level with the atmosphere and we're just getting to that point where we are hyped at every practice and every game.”

That hype apparently has become contagious, as Lombardi noted.

“We've been really hyped and [we] just keep working and it's brought confidence for us to see how good we could be,” senior safety Justin Coleman said.

 

Red Mountain and Gilbert will face off at Gilbert High School at 7 p.m.