Saturday's matchup in Highland vs #2 Garden City proved to be an epic defensive battle with the winner not being determined until the final minutes of the contest. Ultimately, Garden City pulled ahead of the Scotties for a 15-6 victory.
 
After the game Highland's Head Coach Jeff Hancock was quick to praise his team's effort saying, "The guys played their tails off and battled the #2 team in the country well into the fourth quarter. The defense played outstanding throughout. We will keep improving each and every week as we have a group of outstanding men, leaders, and athletes."
 
Highland's defense stifled everything that Garden City threw at it for the first half, holding the Broncbusters to a mere 10 yards on their first four offensive possessions and only 3 points for the entire half. The defensive charge was led by team captain Jalen Angelle who finished the day with 18 tackles (11 solo and 7 assists) and 1.5 quarterback sacks. Angelle's efforts on the day place him in a tie for 4^th place under Most Tackles in a Game on Highland Football's All Time Record Book.
 
Kylin Andrus was another shining star for the Scotties on Saturday. Andrus finished the day with 11 tackles (7 solo and 4 assists), but it was his electric 80-yard interception return for a touchdown that brought the near-capacity Porter Family Stadium to its feet with two minutes left to play in the first half. Andrus' touchdown gave the Scotties a 6-3 lead (missed extra point) that held until the fourth quarter.
 
Defensive Coordinator, Jake Landoll feels that his defense still has to prove their worth to their opponents, saying "They were physical and they were aggressive. I think we showed a lot of people that our effort verse Fort Scott wasn't a fluke.  We have something to prove and we have to work each week to get better and prove to the next opponent that you're in for a fight when you line up against us".
 
While the game was dominated by outstanding defensive play from both teams, the Highland offense struggled to find any kind of rhythm. The Scotties used three different quarterbacks in the game and unfortunately none of them found success against Garden City. Highland also lost four fumbles on the day, with three of the fumbles coming from their cadre of quarterbacks. Highland finished the day with 108 yards of total offense. One of the few offensive highlights of the day came as Andrew Burnette broke free for a 43-yard run in the third quarter. The momentum gained from Burnette's run ended a few plays later as Mustapha Yekini lost a fumble on 3^rd and 10 from the Garden City 36-yard line.
 
When asked about the turnovers and how the team would address the issue, Coach Hancock said, "Offensively, at any level of football, you will not win a game when you turn the ball over. This is something that will get corrected as we prepare to play another ranked team in Coffeyville".
 
After Garden City's second field goal the score remained 6-6 until 9:28 left in the fourth quarter when Ken Gay fumbled the ball out of the back of the end zone, giving Garden City a safety and an 8-6 lead. The Highland defense continued to hold strong but with only 1:51 left in the game, Garden City's Dedrick Talbert was able to sneak in the end zone from four yards out and seal the game for the visiting Broncbusters.
 
The Scotties are on the road for the next two weeks, playing two more ranked teams at Coffeyville and at Independence. The Scotties return to Porter Family Stadium on October 9 to meet the Butler Grizzlies at 1pm.