A year ago, the Highland High School varsity football team played Chaparral in the State Championship football game.  Unfortunately, they beat Highland 24-14, and took home the golden football.  

Now, after a long and well-played season, the Highland Hawks again met the Chaparral Firebirds at Sun Devil Stadium and were ready to win.  They had so much support from family, friends, teachers, the marching band, and student section-all radiating school spirit.  

At the beginning of the season, the Hawks had a 6-0 winning streak.  However, that, unfortunately, came to an end when they went up against 3 teams that qualified for the Open Division playoffs.  #3 Basha won 24-13.  Then, #1 Hamilton beat the Hawks 32-12.  Finally, #2 Chandler finished with a score of 10-7. 

After all 3 devastating losses, Highland learned from their mistakes and came bouncing back with a 4 game win streak.  

“I think having a taste of what a championship is like made them that much more hungry,” said varsity coach Brock Farrel. This was definitely shown during the 2021 AZ State Championship.  With a strong desire to win and loads of hard work, improvement, and determination, Highland High’s Hawks smoked the Firebirds with a finishing score of 31-10.  

The Highland Hawks won their first-ever state title, bringing home the golden football.  It was a memorable moment for everyone, that

 for years, only existed in their imagination.