The Fountain Hills High School football season is set to kick off this Friday, Aug. 27, with a season opener on the road at 7 p.m. against the American Leadership Academy Ironwood Warriors.

The 2021 season will be a little different from last year. For starters, the Falcons are currently set to play a full slate of games over the next couple of months, rather than the abbreviated season that was the result of COVID-19 safety measures last year.

Also, there’s a new head coach at the helm. Jimmy Curtis will lead the Falcons this year after serving as defensive coordinator last season.

This is Curtis’ second year with the district and team.

“I grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and coached for about seven years after playing college football at the Division III level,” Curtis said. “I found a love for it but needed some warmer weather, so I came out to Arizona.”

Curtis teaches special education at Fountain Hills Middle School while coaching the high school football team.

“I’m definitely a player coach,” Curtis said. “Similar to my teaching style, I like to meet the needs of the players individually, utilizing their best assets and improving where they can grow the most.”

Curtis said that the style of play can change week to week, year to year as the kids change.

“You can have the same ideas and philosophies, but play is always based on what is at your disposal,” he added.

The 2020 season is a prime example of that, as just about every aspect of the game was in flux while teams played through an especially trying time.

“Last season, I think the boys had their legs knocked out from underneath them,” Curtis said. “Dealing with everything, I think we were just starting to hit our stride and show what we could do…It was tough to get an accurate depiction of what they were able to do as a team.”

Looking on the bright side, a lot of juniors and seniors got to play last season, which means a lot of experience is back on the roster for 2021. Curtis said the team’s makeup is diverse this season, including a lot of upperclassmen as well as some new faces.

Curtis said the challenge leading into the season was getting players motivated to come out and stay involved. The last year knocked a bit of a dent into enthusiasm, but Curtis said things are looking up. The team has a full roster and recently took part in a summer camp up in Payson.

“That let us build the foundation of our playbook, as well as have the guys build relationships with each other and the new coaching staff,” Curtis continued.

Looking ahead, Curtis said safety remains a top priority. The team quarantined recently due to COVID-19, but was scheduled to be back in action for practice as of this week.

“I think that sends a good message,” Curtis said. “A lot of people think it’s over, but it’s not. Regardless of anyone’s beliefs, we have to be safe and follow the policies the CDC, Department of Health and District put in place, so that’s what we did.”

Looking ahead to this Friday’s game against ALA Ironwood, Curtis said the Falcons are looking forward to being back on the field. He also offered a few players to keep an especially close eye on this season, starting with Savion Boone, who recorded a record-breaking five touchdowns in one game for the Falcons last season.

Jake Barnard is another senior expected to do big things on the field, as well as JT Despain and Calvin Lupien.

Looking ahead to Friday’s match-up against ALA Ironwood, Curtis said the Falcons are going to have to play some great football to come out on top of a team that looks strong in these early goings.

“We’re looking forward to getting the season started and seeing the support of the fans,” Curtis said. “We’re looking to be very player- and fan-focused this year. We want the community to bleed blue and white again.”