The Fountain Hills Varsity Football team won its last home game of the regular season Friday evening, Oct. 15. The Falcons won the turnover margin six to one, and routed region opponent Coronado 38-16.

The Falcons’ defense set the tone on the opening drive of the game. The Coronado Dons could not get a first down, and they decided to test their luck with a punt fake. Freshman safety Sam Barnard intercepted the punter’s pass and the Falcons were ready to roll.

Senior Savion Boone took a jet sweep 30 yards down the sideline before quarterback Spencer Nelson connected with fellow junior Casey Osborne for a 22-yard touchdown. Osborne showed his athleticism and caught the touchdown pass over the Dons defender.

Junior kicker Nicholas Cini ran through contact into the endzone on a fake kick play after the touchdown. Coronado blocked the point after kick after the Falcons’ two-point conversion was called back by penalty, but Cini would later show more physicality on the defensive line in the fourth quarter.

Coronado drained about eight minutes of game clock on their next drive. They did not complete a pass, but the quarterback did score on a run play. The Dons took an 8-6 lead with 25 seconds in the first quarter after they had a successful two-point conversion.

After the kickoff, senior Calvin Lupien broke off a 30-yard run to end the quarter. The Falcons found themselves in good position but started to stall in the red zone. On fourth and goal, the Falcons used misdirection to score. Three receivers lined up on the right side, but Nelson ran to the left where Osborne provided a scoring block.

The Dons could not find their rhythm and were forced to punt after another three and out. Nelson found Boone deep midfield for a 40-yard gain. Boone got up with two defenders around him and still came down with the ball. After a penalty, Lupien scored from two yards out. Fellow senior Marcus Bentley pushed Lupien through defenders and into the endzone. Senior Alex Rieck could not convert the two-point play, but the Falcons led 19-8 halfway through the second quarter.

Osborne had a pass breakup on the next third down to force a punt, but Nelson gave the ball back with a high interception. The Falcon defense forced a sack, and then Boone intercepted another fake punt pass and returned it to the five-yard line. The Falcons had no timeouts left but ran the ball twice with less than a minute in the half. Senior defensive lineman JT Despain was stopped on the first attempt, but then Boone scored on an outside run thanks to another scoring block from Osborne, making the lead 26-8.

“Definitely part of the play calling was to reward some of the seniors that have been putting in so much work,” Falcons head coach Jimmy Curtis said.

“Alex would be a focal point of our offense if he wasn’t hurt for a month. It made it a lot harder for us offensively and defensively when he was out. JT is a big guy and tough athlete. In our situation, he’s had to play line his whole career, but that doesn’t mean he can’t run the ball and get some love.”

Junior Ryan Dhyrkopp forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but the Falcons couldn’t score with the time remaining. Dhyrkopp had a second forced fumble in the second half, this time leading to points. Sam Barnard recovered the fumble and took it into the red zone. The Falcons were stopped, but they scored their second field goal of the second half to lead 32-8 before Coronado ran a second half play.

Senior Jake Barnard has been injured since the Payson game on Sept. 16, but his experience and leadership has been valuable on the sidelines. He helps all the young players, and said he taught his younger brother everything he knows, but Jake said has never seen a freshman make as big an impact as Sam.

“It’s cool to watch,” Jake said. “If you think about it, they’re all young, so think about what they are going to do in two years when they’re seniors and playing guys their age.”

The Falcons offense couldn’t get much going for the rest of the game, but the defense did plenty to secure the win. Osborne secured his fifth interception of the game in the red zone, and varsity newcomer sophomore Gannon Young returned a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Coronado Dons were finally able to score in the last minute, but by the time their two-point conversion succeeded, the game had already been decided. Boone recovered the onside kick to seal the game 38-16.

The Falcons are now 4-4 and their last two games are both region opponents on the road. This week, they travel to Arizona College Prep to take on the 4-4 Knights. The Knights have lost their last two region games, and the winner will have a firm grasp on third place in 3A Metro East.

“I’m happy to celebrate with my friends as a senior,” Boone said after the game. “We have to focus in practice all week and not take [College Prep] lightly.”

The biggest question mark for the Falcons moving forward is the health of senior Calvin Lupien. He was injured on Friday and Curtis says his status is day-to-day. Lupien is easily one of the most active Falcons, starting on both offense and defense since week one. The Falcons have gotten used to playing without key players, but it would be hard to find a replacement for Lupien eight weeks into the season.