COVID has presented challenges in many forms, and high school athletics have experienced them all. Fountain Hills was no exception to the protocols and uncertainty, but at least things have improved for the high school since last winter.

Last November, the Arizona Interscholastic Association delayed winter sports until Jan. 18, 2021. The AIA then voted 5-4 to cancel winter sports entirely before another special election on Jan. 12, in which the AIA reopened the winter sports season. After a few weeks, the AIA voted to remove the mask mandate on athletics on March 10.

The student athletes of Fountain Hills persevered through it all, and what follows is a recap of the winter and some spring sports of 2021. The Times will recap the rest of the Fountain Hills High School 2021 spring and fall sports in next week’s edition.

Boys basketball

The Falcons had a great season last year, all things considered. They started the season with a statement victory, winning 65-34 at Payson on Jan. 19, and they played with intensity and grit all season long.

The Falcons split wins with region opponents Northwest Christian and Page, but they still finished second in 3A North Central. The Falcons were perfect at home, 9-0, and they earned a playoff berth with a 12-4 (6-2) record.

The Falcons defeated American Legion Academy – Gilbert North 63-40 in the first round and thrashed Northwest Christian 53-26 in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, the Falcons lost a close game to Snowflake in the semifinals, 40-35.

The Snowflake Lobos lost 64-51 to Page in the state championship. With home court advantage, the Falcons beat Page 55-46 in the regular season, and the Falcons narrowly lost, 45-41, when they traveled to Page.

Girls basketball

The Falcons had a long and tough season last year. The girls basketball team had six players on its roster in a sport that requires five players on the court at all times. The Lady Falcons were undermanned all season, and they finished the year 1-8.

The lone win of the Falcons’ season came at the end when Fountain Hills hosted Benjamin Franklin on March 1. The Falcons came out on top, 45-39, and finished the season on a high note.

The Fountain Hills Middle School girls basketball team beat Horizon Honors in the league championship on May 10 to finish their perfect 12-0 season. Amada Baca is the head coach of both the middle and high school teams, and two eighth grade students from last year, Seilah Smith and Shania Rivera, are on the high school varsity team this year.

Wrestling

The Falcons wrestlers had a unique season, being an indoor contact sport. They only competed in meets with no more than two other schools at a time, and there were no qualifying tournaments, so each wrestler had a chance in the state competition.

The wrestlers had less competition than normal, but the team grew throughout 14 dual meets. A total of 11 Falcons went to the Division IV state tournament, and JP Cahill, Ty Jablonsky and Dominick Flynn advanced to the second day.

Jablonsky finished top eight in the 106-pound weight class, and Flynn finished his senior year fifth in the 132 class. Flynn started the year 9-0 and was a leader on the team all year. The success from last year helped grow the culture of the team and led to the largest team in years for the 2021-2022 season.

Boys soccer

The Falcons did not have a great start to the boys soccer season last year. They lost their first eight games, and they failed to score a single goal in the first five showdowns. The Falcons scored two goals in a loss to Scottsdale Preparatory Academy on Feb. 2, and they scored at least one goal in every game afterward.

The Falcons did finish the season strong though, winning four of their last six games. They beat Horizon Honors 4-3 on Feb. 11, their first win of the season, and the Falcons won their next game 4-2 over Tempe Prep on Feb. 16.

The Falcons lost the last home game of the season, but they won their last game 3-2 over Glendale Prep Academy. Despite their 4-10 (3-6) record, the Falcons were ranked 25 out of 43 teams in 3A due to their strength of schedule. Senior goalkeeper Dylan Shipman was named to the all-region first team for the second year in a row, and Nico Cini, Finn Hudoba and Savion Boone were named to the region’s second team. Zane Balzarini, seniors Hunter McAloon and Nathan Ball were all honorable mentions.

Girls soccer

The girls soccer team started its season with a 4-2 win at home against Arizona College Prep on Jan. 19. The Falcons won their next game, but lost the next two, and they were sitting at 4-3 after a 3-2 loss to Phoenix Country Day on Saturday, Feb. 6.

The Falcons started a six-game win streak with an 11-0 win over Horizon Honors on Feb. 11. The streak carried till the end of the regular season, and the Lady Falcons made the playoffs with a 10-3 (5-2) record. The Falcons hosted American Leadership Academy – Gilbert North in the first round of playoffs, and the season ended with a 2-1 loss.

The Falcons lost four seniors, all of whom were region award winners. Ashby Owen won offensive player of the region, Lindsey McMahon won defensive player of the year, Parker Sweet was a member of the all-region first team, and Morgan Soloman was named to the second team. Returners Kambria VanOrden and Hailey Chandler were also named to the all-region second team, and Jeneya Boone, Jordan Pena, Hope Connor, Olivia Sopeland and Stella Grieco were all honorable mentions.

Tennis

The Falcons struggled on the tennis courts last spring, with neither boys or girls teams recording a single team win. The boys team was rebuilding with mostly underclassmen on the roster, and the girls only had three players total, yet seniors Penny Enterline and Andrei Urda qualified individually for state.

The boys went 0-7 on the season, but freshman Caleb Lara was a bright light who worked his way to the third singles spot. The girls went 0-6, and even when Enterline, and sophomores Christine Quan and Hope Connor all won, the girls still had to forfeit five points per match because of their lack of players.

Enterline beat her first-round opponent from Valley Lutheran (4-6, 6-1, 6-2) but lost in the second round (6-0, 6-1) to an opponent from St. David. Urda drew a tough opening matchup and lost his match with Scottsdale Prep (6-0, 6-0).

Golf

The Falcons were one of the top golf squads in Arizona last year. After taking second place out of 10 teams in the White Mountain Invitational on April 16, the Falcons were ranked fourth out of 55 3A golf teams. When the season was over, the Falcons placed fourth in the state tournament.

Before the Division III state tournament, three Falcons were ranked top 20 in the conference. Alex Schafer was ranked 11th, Ethan Schafer was ranked 12th and Ben Danko was ranked 15th. Danko led after the first day of the state tournament but finished 16th on the Omni Tucson National Sonoran Golf Course.

Alex Schafer finished 11th in the season ending tournament, and Jacob Trimble also had a top-20 performance. Scottsdale Prep took first place, Valley Christian and Arizona College Prep tied for second, and Fountain Hills sat 10 strokes behind second place for a fourth-place finish.

Beach volleyball

The Beach Volleyball program continued a culture of dominance last season. The Falcons only played one game in the 2020 season before the pandemic began, but almost nothing stopped the Falcons last year.

The Lady Falcons went a perfect 13-0 in the 2021 regular season, and they claimed their third consecutive region title. The Falcons beat Trivium Prep 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs, but they played uncharacteristically in the second round, falling 5-0 to Chandler Prep. Head coach Peter McGloin said the loss was the first loss at home since the 2017 season, and it was just the fourth loss in five years for the Falcons.

Over the past five years, the Falcons have gone 60-4. They also appeared in three straight state championships from 2017-2019, and the Falcons won the tournament in 2017 and 2018.

The Falcons lost seven seniors from last year’s squad. Jelina Lynch and Grace Abrams were both named to the all-region first team, and fellow senior Meghan Bearer was an honorable mention. The Falcons also graduated Jordan Pace, Layne Lease, Emerald Sopeland and Ainsley Boersma. Mia Kohoutek, another region first team selection, and Brooke Williams, a second team selection, did not graduate and can play this upcoming spring.