The Highland Huskies are hoping their home field will yield a district football win tonight when they host Pekin. Highland could not keep up on the road last week, falling 48-14 at Columbus to drop to 1-3 in their Class A district and 2-3 overall.

The Huskies have proven to be a stout defensive bunch, posting two shutouts earlier this season. Defensive lineman Isaac Kleese has been a disruptive force up front with six tackles for loss, while fellow seniors Colten Sypherd and Logan McFarland each have at least 35 total tackles and three tackles for loss to lead the team.

Jared Diaz has also been a playmaker for the Highland defense with five interceptions, while senior quarterback Sage Hartley-Norman paces the offense with over 280 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

The Huskies are paired up with a Pekin team that was 4-0 prior to a loss last week to state-ranked Lisbon. Senior quarterback Will Adam is a dual threat, passing for over 800 yards and seven TDs while also running for nearly 450 yards and 10 more scores.

The Panther defense is just at strong, allowing less than eight points per game and racking up 13 takeaways. Highland will try to avoid a third straight loss to Pekin when they kick things off in Riverside this evening at 7.