State champions.

I’ve been reporting Fountain Hills sports for more than 11 years now and I never get tired of typing those words.

The local teams have spoiled me as of late. Along with some individual state champs in various sports, the girls soccer team, basketball team and track team have been bringing home quite a number of titles these last few years.

They’re going to need to expand the trophy case at the high school soon, as the girls soccer team added yet another state championship to their record over the weekend, clenching their third crown in four years.

I’m especially excited for this year’s group of seniors, who were a part of the state championship team their freshman year, took second as sophomores, then claimed back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. You can’t leave behind a legacy much stronger than that.

If you weren’t able to drive across the Valley to watch the game at Williams Field High School this past Saturday night, then you missed a pretty fantastic showdown in which the Lady Falcons bested Trivium Prep 2-0.

That score is tighter than the play on the field would have suggested, as the Falcons were relentless on offense, bombarding Trivium’s keeper with shot on goal after shot on goal. To say the Falcons controlled the pace of the game might be something of an understatement.

I was lucky enough to be out on the field when the clock finally wound down to zero, so I got to see firsthand just how overjoyed these high-achieving Falcons were when the match finally drew to a close. It’s a memory that will stick with them for years to come, and they certainly put in the hard work necessary to earn it.

So congrats, Lady Falcons, on another state championship. We’re all proud of you for representing yourselves, your school and your town so admirably.

And the accolades don’t stop there, as the local wrestlers had a solid showing at state last week with five members of the Falcon flock competing at the highest level.

Senior Parker Kauffman took third in his division, with classmate Daniel Butler taking fifth. While not placing, their teammates did well enough to rank the Falcons 14th out of a field of 50 teams.

And if that wasn’t enough, the basketball teams are in the midst of their state tournaments this week, too.

While the guys got a bye through the first round, the ladies played in their opening match-up in front of the hometown crowd Tuesday night, Feb. 14, against the team from Show Low. They’re still a couple of nights out from that showdown as of this writing, but I have my fingers crossed they’ll be continuing through the state tournament after this week’s issue hits the stands.

Two words sum up all of this rather nicely, and there have been plenty of reasons to chant them loud and proud as of late: Go Falcons!