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Playoffs in sight with Payson challenge Friday

Posted 10/18/22

Senior quarterback Spencer Nelson led Fountain Hills High School (5-3) to a 44-14 win over Bourgade Catholic last Friday, Oct. 14. Nelson tossed two touchdown passes and scored another three with his …

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Playoffs in sight with Payson challenge Friday

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Senior quarterback Spencer Nelson led Fountain Hills High School (5-3) to a 44-14 win over Bourgade Catholic last Friday, Oct. 14. Nelson tossed two touchdown passes and scored another three with his legs.

The Falcons defense also had their fill with three sacks and four interceptions. Senior Ryan Dyhrkopp got his hands on another interception on a fourth down defensive play, but his feet came down out of bounds and the Falcons took over on downs instead.

“The defense in general played really well,” head coach Sean Moran said. “The defensive line had one of the better games that they’ve had. [Senior] Jaron Rosario was just a beast all night long. He was occupying guys, pushing guys back, making the blitzes a lot cleaner for the linebackers to get through.”

The Falcons defense was ready on its first play, when sophomore Sam Barnard flushed the Bourgade Catholic quarterback out of the pocket for a small gain. Junior Gabe Haynes got a sack on third down and put the ball back in the Falcons’ hands.

The offense took a little longer to get moving after not playing over their bye last week. The Falcons failed to move the chains on their first drive, and they botched a field goal kick hold and missed the kick on their second drive.

“At the beginning of the game we had a little bit of rust,” Dyhrkopp said. “It just took a little bit but then we started balling.”

Bourgade Catholic made a big play to start the second quarter with a 71-yard touchdown pass down the sideline, but they would not keep their lead for long. The next play, Nelson floated the ball up for senior Gavin Furi, and the running back took it 80 yards to the end zone.

The Falcons’ point after try was blocked, so the Falcons were behind 7-6. Still, the Falcons felt like they had taken control of the game with their quick response to Bourgade’s score.

“We got in their heads,” Barnard said. “On the field, we’d get a decent play, and we could hear their teammates yelling at each other. When they start yelling at each other, we know were in their heads, and then big plays started happening. Play makers make plays.”

Barnard made several big plays on offense and defense last week. Midway through the second quarter, he read a screen pass play and jumped on it quick enough to take the ball off the receiver’s hands for an interception. Nelson ran in a score from 16 yards out and then ran in the two-point conversion to make it 14-7.

On the next drive, Barnard nearly got a sack, and his pressure forced a second interception, this time picked off by senior Ty Cosman. Nelson had a 30-yard run on first down, but the offense stalled due to penalties in the red zone. Senior Nico Cini made a 41-yard field goal to make it 17-7 with two minutes left in the half.

Fountain Hills forced a three and out, but then Nelson made his lone mistake with an interception. Bourgade Catholic tried to score before halftime and they completed a 46-yard screen pass to the four yard line. Dyhrkopp stopped the touchdown with a tackle and junior Gannon Young got the ball back with an endzone interception.

The Falcons ran their two-minute drill to perfection. Nelson completed a 49-yard pass to Barnard, and then he hit Dyhrkopp in the middle of the field with a 19-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left on the clock. The Falcons led 24-7 at the break.

“The first turnover we get, I think it makes our offense better,” Barnard said. “The sideline gets going. Most of the people on defense are on offense, so I feel like it gives them confidence too.”

The Falcons played more complimentary football in the second half. Hayes and Rosario combined for a sack and special teams put the Falcons on their own 20-yard line for their first drive of the half. Nelson ran it in from three yards out to go up 31-7.

“Spencer’s doing a fantastic job,” Moran said. “I definitely think we tailored this thing to fit his skill set, and he’s just shining with it in my opinion.”

Dyhrkopp got pressure on Bourgade and forced another errant throw, this time intercepted by Barnard for his second of the game. That led to a 10-yard touchdown run for Nelson at the end of the third quarter. The only other Falcon score would come on a five-yard carry from junior Cannon Lipps with four minutes left in the game.

Bourgade had another lucky toss in the fourth that resulted in a 70-yard touchdown pass. They weren’t able to get much success on short and intermediate plays against the Falcons’ defense, and senior Andrew Rosenbauer got the last sack of the night on a fourth and long attempt.

The Falcons are on a four-game winning streak for the first time since 2017, and this week, they hope to beat Payson for the first time since 2019.

“Most people on our team haven’t gotten this experience,” Barnard said. “Region play, make or break time for the playoffs.”

Payson is now a region rival as well as a town rival. Both teams enter the Battle of the Beeline with 5-3 records, and Payson already has a region loss to Valley Christian, the Falcons’ final opponent. Fountain Hills can control their own playoff destiny and secure a top-two finish in the region with a win at Payson this Friday, Oct. 21. Kick off is at 7 p.m.

“Every Tuesday when the standings come out, we talk about it as a group,” Moran said. “They know exactly where they stand and the things we have to do moving forward…They’re trying to stay in the playoff picture too, and they’re trying to knock us out of it. There’s a lot on the line with this game, and the table’s been set for a pretty good match up. I know our guys are amped up to go, and our guys are going to be ready.”