Chandler Escapes Highland 24-22 on Late Touchdown Strike
Arizona — September 23, 2023
Chandler needed a fourth-quarter answer to stay unbeaten, and quarterback Blake Heffron delivered it. Heffron connected with Justice Spann on a 37-yard touchdown pass with just over two minutes remaining, lifting Chandler to a 24-22 win over Highland on September 23, 2023.
The Wolves came into the game ranked No. 22 in the country in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings, and Highland made them earn every bit of that ranking. Highland kept the game tight throughout, and it took a go-ahead score in the final minutes for Chandler to escape with the win, improving to 5-0 on the season. Highland dropped to 3-2 with the loss but had shown it could hang with one of the top-ranked teams in the country for four quarters.
The win was a reminder that in Arizona high school football, there are no easy games on Chandler's schedule — even against a Highland team that wasn't necessarily projected as a top contender that season. Games like this one are part of what made the 2023 season one of the most competitive in recent memory across the Valley, with ranked teams having to fight for every win rather than cruise through their schedules.
For Chandler, the win kept an undefeated season alive and set the tone for a fall in which the Wolves would remain one of the most talked-about programs in the state, for better and worse, throughout the year.