The Highland Hawks bid to advance to the 6A championship to defend their title came down to their effort in the fourth quarter. That effort was solid and earned them the opportunity.

#2 Highland scored two touchdowns late in the quarter giving it a 35-21 victory over #6 Red Mountain at Highland High. Highland (10-3) faces #4 Pinnacle for the championship on Saturday Dec. 10 in a 1 p.m. kickoff at Sun Devil Stadium. Pinnacle (9-4) eliminated top-seed Casteel in a shootout, 49-42, in the other semifinal. Highland and Pinnacle met Oct. 27 at Pinnacle. Highland won that game, 25-0.

In reaching the title game for the third year in a row, Highland got plenty - as it usually does - from two-way standout Kody Cullimore. Cullimore, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior, scored three touchdowns - two on short runs and the other on a short pass from quarterback Kalen Fisher with 5:20 left to play. The Fisher to Cullimore connection broke a 21-21 tie. Highland's go-ahead drive covered 67 yards in 10 plays.

Red Mountain (8-5) tried to put together a tying rally, advancin to midfield with about three minutes left. Three successive penalties helped bog down the drive at that point. Highland defensive end Cooper Scott pressured and sacked Red Mountain quarterback Carter Crispin leading to a fourth-and-28 at Red Mountain's 30.

Crispin's fourth-down pass was picked off by Hawks safety Joseph Allen. Allen raced down the right sideline for a 58-yard TD. With a 35-21 advantage and 2:43 to go, the pick ended the Mountain Lions comeback bid.

Highland coach Brock Farrel said the journey to play for a title defense is a relief in a season of "ups and downs". Two of the Hawks losses are to Saguaro and Hamilton, both of which qualfied for the Open Championship. The other was to Lone Peak, Utah. Lone Peak was just defeated in Utah's playoffs.

"In the end tonight, our defense found a way," Farrel said. 

Red Mountain managed 19 yards of offense in the fourth quarter, easily Highland's best defensive quarter of the game. Allen's pick-six applied the exclamation point.