Kaleb Martinez
ASU Student Journalist

Cruz shines as Casteel nabs Class 5A region road win against Higley

September 29, 2018 by Kaleb Martinez, Arizona State University


Casteel coach Bobby Newcombe addresses his team after a road win against Higley. (photo by Kaleb Martinez/azpreps365.com)

The Casteel Colts improved to 5-2 Friday night after a 56-24 road win over the Higley Knights in a crucial Class 5A San Tan Region game for the AZ Preps 365 Game of the Week.

Higley struck first early with a field goal following a Casteel three and out to begin the game. Then, it turned into the Gunner Cruz show. The Casteel quarterback threw for an even 300 yards and accounted for five touchdowns, four rushing and one through the air.

Throughout the night, the Colts sustained some long drives and kept the ball away from Higley’s high-scoring offense. They had three drives of at least four minutes, all of which resulted in touchdowns.

The combination of Casteel’s ground game and Higley’s 10 penalties on the night allowed the Colts to eat up time off the clock. Jayce Knutsen, Casteel’s leading rusher on the year, ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Cruz also added 45 yards on the ground.

Casteel (1-1 region) helped its cause by not turning the ball over Friday night.

Despite his individual numbers, Cruz attributed the effective run game and offensive success as a whole to his guys up front.  

“The offensive line is really what came together today,” Cruz said. “As a team, the dominance that we were able to do in the trenches today is really what set us apart.”

After both teams traded touchdowns to open the second half, Casteel pulled away late after capitalizing on three Higley turnovers.

The Colts’ leading receiver, senior Zach Nelson, continued his level of production with 12 catches for 177 yards and a touchdown, including a 53-yard reception to open the fourth quarter. He echoed some of the same sentiments as Cruz when it came to the offense.

“Our O-line was doing a great job against a very, very good defensive line,” Nelson said. “Gunner was doing a phenomenal job finding the windows.”

Knights’ quarterback Spencer Brasch threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, but also threw two interceptions.

Brasch, a Cal commit, and Cruz, a Washington State commit, got a taste of one another before they become counterparts in the Pac-12 North next season.

Cruz came out on top this time, but he knew what kind of player Brasch was coming into the matchup.

“He’s a fun player to watch, for sure,” Cruz said of Brasch. “That was a big part of our defensive game plan, I know, was containing him and I think our defense did a pretty good job with that tonight.”

The Knights drop to 5-2, 1-1 and will play their third home game in four weeks on Oct. 5 against the 6-1 Campo Verde Coyotes.

The Colts will look to begin a win streak next week as they host Gilbert.