Eric SorensonThursday night history repeated itself.
As had been the case in seven-straight previous attempts, the Horizon Huskies came up short against cross-town rival Pinnacle. They have yet to beat their north Phoenix neighbors.
The much-anticipated battle of one-loss teams was tight for a quarter before quarterback Brian Lewerke and wide receiver Cules Rose nearly singlehandedly dismantled the Huskies’ defense in the 52-35 win before an electric crowd at Husky Stadium.
“It’s definitely some things we saw on film but it’s also just some things we can do with Brian,” Pinnacle head coach Dana Zupke told Sports360AZ.com after win. “I’ve got some kids…that can get on top of guys.”
No one more lethal than the 5’9, 155-pound Rose who had over 200 receiving yards and reeled in four of Lewerke’s five touchdowns as the Pioneers (8-1) outscored Horizon (7-2) 17-0 in the second quarter taking a 31-14 lead into halftime which they would never relinquish.
“He makes everything easy for you,” Rose said about his quarterback. “He puts the ball exactly where you need it every single time and I’m truly blessed to have a quarterback like [him].”
The Huskies had no answer for Lewerke who gashed the Huskies with his arm and his legs and doing it all with a broken finger on his throwing hand. Many speculated if the Michigan State commit would play in the game which pulls PHS one step closer to a section title.
Boy, did he.
“When I hurt my finger a couple of weeks ago I was kind of disappointed because I was looking forward to this game,” Lewerke explained. “It’s great to finish out my high school career 8-0 against them.”
It also left the dogs licking their wounds for another year.
