It seemed unlikely, but the Fountain Hills High School football team was able to play one final game for its 2020 season after the high school closed due to COVID-19.
On Nov. 20, the Falcons …
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Football season draws to a close
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Posted
Joey Postiglione, Reporter
It seemed unlikely, but the Fountain Hills High School football team was able to play one final game for its 2020 season after the high school closed due to COVID-19.
On Nov. 20, the Falcons hosted Eastmark at the Falcon Nest and lost the game by a final score of 28-7, bringing Fountain Hills to a season record of two wins and three losses.
The Falcons’ start to this unusual season was a strong one, scoring two victories over Chino Valley (28-12) and Florence (48-47).
The next two games for the Falcons were losses, with their first against Safford (23-13) and the next against Payson (28-14). The Falcons still had more games on the schedule, but the outbreak of COVID-19 at the high school brought an abrupt halt to athletics.
Leading into their final game, Fountain Hills football players had been weeks out of practice.
“It definitely showed that we hadn’t played in four weeks, because our first offensive play was a fumble from a guy who hasn’t fumbled all season,” head coach Jason Henslin said. “You could just tell; he ran the wrong way and, a couple of times that night, guys went the wrong way. It was like the rust of game had to be shook off again.”
Henslin said he was initially disappointed with how his Falcons performed but, when looking at all the factors, he was just happy they got to play a final game and enjoy Senior Night.
“For all the disappointment over the loss, you have to sit back and remind yourself that we hadn’t played in a month and we were missing six starters,” Henslin said. “So, the fact that we got to the play the game at all and that there were a few bright spots makes it enough.”
Some of those bright spots included Dion Doka and Hunter McAloon having a strong game as rotating quarterbacks, the first time either had played the position in a varsity game.
Another bright spot was that Nov. 20 game acted as Senior Night, not just for football but for all the spring sports.
“The biggest takeaway is that we were able to hold Senior Night for all the fall sports,” Henslin said. “Whether we won or lost, we still got to have a Senior Night and parents got to have that once-in-a-lifetime chance to walk out on the field with their seniors and do a proper goodbye.”
