Fountain Hills High School won big in its first home football game of the season, besting San Tan Foothills by a final score of 45-13 Friday evening, Sept. 3. The atmosphere of the crowd was electric, and something that seniors had not seen before.

“We usually don’t have this big of a turnout,” senior Calvin Lupien said. “It was awesome to see, but definitely got the nerves pretty high.”

Though the Falcons scored 45 points on Senior Night, the game was scoreless throughout the first quarter. The Falcons started to find their rhythm when they recovered a fumble late in the first. Quarterback Spencer Nelson scrambled for a big gain, which led to a touchdown run from Gavin Furi to start the second quarter.

San Tan Foothills was under pressure to respond. The Sabercats had one big run, but their quarterback fumbled again two plays later. The Falcons took advantage and Lupien scored his first touchdown of the night to make it 14-0 with seven minutes to play in the half.

The Sabercats were more careful on the next drive and got into scoring territory. The Falcons held them to fourth down but failed to stop a touchdown on the next play. Senior Savion Boone came flying in and blocked the point after attempt, making it 14-6 with just over three minutes in the first half.

The Falcons were able to score a field goal with the remaining time, and Casey Osborne intercepted a deep pass by San Tan to close out the half. The Falcons had all the momentum heading into the break.

The Falcons forced the Sabercats to punt on their first possession, and then senior Jake Barnard briefly took over the game. He had a nice punt return to midfield, and then he scored a touchdown off a ricocheted pass. The Falcons were up 24-6 less than two minutes into the third quarter.

The Falcons led a methodical drive on their next possession but stalled out and missed a field goal. The defense stepped up and Osborne made a play to grab his second interception of the night.

Lupien scored his second touchdown after starting on his own side of the field. The Falcons offensive line opened a hole, and Lupien took it nearly 40 yards.

“Wide open hole every time,” Lupien said. “The line has put in so much work it’s insane. Coach [Jimmy] Brady has been pushing them so hard, it’s a big improvement from last year.”

The Sabercats scored on an explosive 57-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, making it 31-13. On the ensuing kickoff, Savion Boone would close out the game.

Boone backed up for the kickoff and stepped one foot into his own endzone. The Falcons blocked well, but it was Boone’s speed that left him untouched as he raced 100 yards for the touchdown. The Falcons’ special teams were fired up, and on the next kickoff they kept San Tan deep inside their own territory.

Not quite out of gas, Boone stayed in the game on defense. The Sabercats fumbled for a third time, and this time Boone jumped on it in the endzone for a touchdown. He called it the easiest touchdown of his life.

“It means a lot to the town,” Boone said after the game. “Everyone’s been doubting us, but now we just showed them who we are.”

The fourth quarter went scoreless as the Falcons closed out the game 45-13. The defense held strong, and the offense was efficient in the run game. Seniors said they were thrilled with their performances, but they know there will be more challenges further along in the season. For now, the Falcons are flying high at 2-0.

Due to the holiday weekend, The Times could not confirm statistics with the Falcons’ coaching staff. Next up, the Falcons travel to Snowflake to take on the Lobos at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10.