In an important 5A non-region matchup between teams that have shown big improvements after disappointing 2020 seasons, a win Friday would go a long way for either Millennium or host Horizon.

Four first half turnovers and a surplus of self-inflicted penalties left Horizon trailing, but only by 13. That’s when senior quarterback Skyler Patridge stepped in, posting the best game of his high school career.

Partridge completed 28 of 33 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 106 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

One of those rushing scores was a 74-yard run late in the third quarter that helped spur a 36-16 run, allowing Horizon to top Millennium 43-36.

“He (Partridge) needs to have confidence in himself,” Horizon coach Andy Litten said. “Be the smart player and take what the defense gives you. In the first couple of games he was trying to force a lot, but tonight I felt he did a great job managing the game by getting the ball to open receivers and making good reads in the run game. I was proud of him.”

Partridge, a dual-sport athlete, showed not only his track speed in the second half but also his senior leadership by putting the Huskies on his back.

“We didn’t focus in the first half,” Partridge said. “We had to come out in the second half and believe in ourselves and build that momentum. Once we started rolling we just couldn’t stop.

“We just have to believe because all of our games have been close and we find a way to win,” Partridge added. “We weren’t down on ourselves at halftime. We knew what we had to do and it showed in the second half. We have to keep this up and keep winning.”

Partridge got his first opportunity this season to be the Huskies’ main signal-caller after splitting time last season. That led to his first offer to continue playing football at Whittier College in California.

Partridge set up a big senior year by attending many camps, including taking home the MVP chain for his performance at the Arizona Combine earlier this year. He’s having success on the field and also in the classroom with a 3.5 GPA.

Horizon will look to improve its 4-0 record at home versus Apollo next Friday night in another 5A non-region matchup.