For the second year in a row, the Fountain Hills High School football team is still the champion of the Beeline.

On Sept. 13 the Falcons traveled up to Payson to play against the Longhorns and won the game 51-26.

This week the Falcons will go to work on the local field and play in the homecoming game against Wickenburg. The game will be on Friday, Sept. 20, beginning at 7 p.m.

The big difference in the recent Beeline showdown compared to the Falcons’ first two games of the season was the offense, said Head coach Jason Henslin.

“We started off fast, which was good because offense was our biggest struggle in the first two games,” Henslin said. “In those games we didn’t score until late in the first halves, but this time we scored on each of our first three possessions.”

Specifically, one Falcon carried the ball to the end zone for FHHS in those first three possessions, Boden Davidson.

“He touched the ball three times the entire game on offense and had three touchdowns,” Henslin said with a grin. “Two of them were 50-yard runs and one was a 25-yard catch.”

The quick strikes from offense also seemed to take off pressure from the Falcons’ defense while allowing some breathing room, Henslin added.

But the Longhorns didn’t just roll over. Even when FHHS came out to snatch an early lead and kept the advantage heading into halftime, the game was still close at 28-20.

“It was Payson’s homecoming and their crowd was starting to really get into it, so we brought the team back in the locker room to refocus,” Henslin said. “We remind them that if they keep playing the way they are and don’t let up at all, we’ll be fine. Then we went out there and scored 23 points and held them at six.”

Going into this Friday’s homecoming showdown, Henslin said he is treating it just like any other game.

“We just take it one game at a time,” he said.