Fall is nearly upon us, meaning it is once again time for the Fountain Hills High School Falcons to return to the gridiron for the 2013 football season.

Fans will soon line the stands at Falcon Field on Friday evenings with the marching band providing the soundtrack to another season of big hits, long passes, breakaway plays and edge-of-your seat showdowns, according to head coach Jim Fairfield.

The Falcons had a rough go of it back in 2012, putting together a 4-7 season that, according to Fairfield, had the potential to go a completely different direction.

“Last year we had a strong team to start out with,” he said.

“Then we had a lot of injuries, ineligibilities and a couple of infractions on our student policy, so we had to let some kids go. That hurt us a little bit. They made some bad choices and they knew that it was wrong. It was unfortunate because they had the potential to be an exceptional team.”

Despite the setbacks, Fairfield said last year’s remaining squad continued to work hard, eventually starting seven sophomores at the varsity level.

“That’s usually unheard of,” Fairfield added.

“But that’s actually a good thing for this year, because now that group has an extra year of varsity playing experience. And it shows. They’re doing a really good job right now.”

Here at the start of the season, the Falcons have 38 varsity members out on the field, half of which are upperclassmen.

“We also have a lot of new kids out who just decided that they wanted to be a part of the program,” Fairfield said.

“Overall, though, they’re really bonding as a team. There’s more of a team unity this season. Instead of a bunch of individuals, they’re eager to learn, they’re working together and they want to win as a team.”

During the final week of summer vacation, Fairfield and his staff hosted the annual pre-season camp out of the high school field. Fairfield said a large portion of the team made it out, helping make it a successful experience.

A strong believer in peer leadership, Fairfield said the team has already selected this season’s captains: Trent Bode, Peter Carillo and John Burris.

“They’ve all been on varsity for at least two years,” Fairfield said. “A couple of them are vocal motivators and the other leads by example, so it’s a good combination between them.”

Along with the team captains, Fairfield’s usual assortment of assistant coaches are also on-hand, including defensive coordinator Rob Lange, special teams coordinator Mike McNeal and line coach Keith Hinton.

All working together, Fairfield said that the Falcons’ goals for 2013 are the same as always: To get better every practice and constantly show improvement.

“Being the best you can be every day, that’s our short-term goal we’re always working on,” Fairfield said.

“We want everybody to get better at something every day. Our long-term goal is to take our section and, eventually, state. We just want to be dominant on the field and not make mistakes.”

The Falcons will once again face an altered schedule this season, taking on familiar teams from Wickenburg, Florence and Payson, as well as squads like Snowflake and Blue Ridge. The season officially begins on Friday, Aug. 30, as the Falcons hit the road to Coronado.

The first home game will be the following week on Sept. 6, when the Falcons host the Florence Gophers for a 7 p.m. outing. Play will almost exclusively bounce back and forth between home and away games this season with all match-ups set for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

“We’ve got a pretty tough schedule this season, and I like it,” Fairfield said.

“That [kind of schedule] makes you get ready every week. There are no weak teams that you can just not worry about. We have to stay at the top of our game every week.”

To be at the top of the section, Fairfield said that a team pretty much needs to win all of its games. That, he said, will be one of the Falcons’ goals in the coming months.

“We know what we need to do to get to the championship,” Fairfield added.

“We’ve been close quite a few times, but it comes down to the kids; their motivation, their drive and their choices.

“Just like last year, this team has the potential to be exceptional and go all of the way. We can coach them and show them how it’s done, but getting there means they’ll still have to perform on the field.”