Looking back, 2019 seemed to be a year of rebirth for many of the teams in the Fountain Hills High School athletic program.

There were plenty of individual achievements to go around but almost every sport laid down a foundation this year that will hopefully help each program grow stronger in the future.

What follows is The Times’recap of eight sports from the first half of 2019. Check the Jan. 1 edition for the final eight recaps.

Boys basketball

The Fountain Hills High School boys basketball team was under new guidance for their 2018-19 season and, just like new coach Jeff Bonner had to find his place on the team, the Falcons had to forge their identity in the division.

The season got off to a strong enough start with FHHS winning two of its first three games. However, after this initial success, the team faced a tough drought with a five-game losing streak.

The Falcons managed to bounce back from this streak, pulling off enough wins to secure a spot in the state tournament.

The Falcons finished the season at the second round of the state championship, with a final record of 10 wins and 16 losses.

Girls basketball

Coach Mandy Baca returned to her position as head coach of the Fountain Hills High School girls basketball team for the 2018-19 season.

The season began well with FHHS winning its season opener against Paradise Honors. Unfortunately, the Lady Falcons went on to lose their next three games.

Going into winter break the girls basketball team was struggling to gain solid footing, bouncing between wins and losses. Baca believes that the Lady Falcons’ turning point came in their winter break victory over Payson.

In the last half of the season the Lady Falcons went 6-4, pulling off a three-game winning streak along the way.

However, just like their male counterparts, the girls’ season came to an end in the second round of the state tournament.

Wrestling

The 2018-19 Fountain Hills High School wrestling squad might have had a small roster, but one senior wrestler was able to accomplish something that has only been done once before in Falcon history.

Leyton Kauffman had already had a successful regular season before wrestling in the state tournament as the sole representation for Fountain Hills.

At the tournament, Kauffman took down Michael Densmore of Winslow to become the first Fountain Hills state champ since 2010.

Boys soccer

Head coach of the Fountain Hills High School boys soccer team, Matt Pugliano described the 2018-19 season as a learning experience for both him and his team.

The Falcons’ season started with a stumble as the local boys lost their first four matches against such heavy hitters as Bourgade Catholic and American Leadership Academy Gilbert.

The team’s first win was a much-needed blowout against Globe, 9-0. From there the Falcons traded between wins and losses until the team went on a five-game winning streak down the back stretch.

Unfortunately, that extra momentum was not enough to get the team into the playoffs and FHHS boys soccer finished the season with a record of 8 win, 10 losses.

Girls soccer

The Fountain Hills High School girls soccer team finished the 2018-19 season as one of the top teams in their division.

The season started strong with a commanding victory over Combs, 5-0.

That type of final score would be a common occurrence for the Lady Falcons during the season, with their biggest point spread being against Horizon Honors, 11-0.

It wasn’t a perfect season, though, with FHHS dropping some matches along the way. But the Lady Falcons were able to ride their 14-7-1 record right to the semifinals of the state tournament.

There, the season came to an end when FHHS fell to the eventual state champs, Northwest Christian, 3-0.

Baseball

Like many of the sports in 2019, the Fountain Hills High School baseball team was under the guidance of a new head coach, Joe Merklin, and his coaching staff.

Merklin said he thinks the adjustment to his style of running a team and lack of playtime led to the Falcons’ slow start in the spring. FHHS dropped its first game, won the second and then lost three in a row.

A big confidence boost for the Falcons happened back to back in March when the local boys beat St. John 10-0 and then beat Desert Christian 15-0 the next day.

Despite not going on any huge winning streaks the Falcons advanced to the state tournament and pushed to the second round, where they lost to the eventual state champions, Sabino.

Softball

The players on the Fountain Hills High School softball team started the season with one goal in mind, to “change their ending.”

After years of coming so close the Lady Falcons finally secured a region title for themselves.

The season got off to a rocky start, with FHHS dropping its first two games. However, the Falcons would kick off a six-game winning streak when they beat San Tan Foothills by a whopping difference of 21-9.

FHHS Softball finished the season with an impressive record of 18-9 to go along with that region trophy.

Tennis

The Fountain Hills High School tennis program was in a unique situation for the 2019 season.

With only eight players across both the boys and girls roster, Fountain Hills tennis was forced to be disqualified from all of their regular season matches.

Rather than let that fact dissuade them, head coach Ted Trippett and his group of players focused on honing their individuals skills and building a program that will hopefully attract others to come out during the 2020 season.