Ethan Desjardine is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Scottsdale Christian Academy for AZPreps365.

The Scottsdale Christian Academy Eagles took on the Madison Highland Prep Heat at home for their homecoming game Friday and won in dominant fashion.

Throughout the game, the Scottsdale Christian cheerleaders were chanting “Beat the Heat!” and that’s exactly what Nate Holtz’s Eagles did. The final score of the game was 62-16, and the Eagles have scored an absurd 153 points in their last three outings. 

Scottsdale Christian is now 5-2 and has won its last three contests, all in a strong fashion.

From the beginning of the contest, Madison Highland looked outmatched. On the first play of the game, Ethan Davidson returned a kickoff for a huge gain to the 48-yard line, and Scottsdale Christian never looked back.

Eagles’ quarterback Jack Atkinson, who returned from injury last week and threw for 195 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, continued his dominance this week, throwing for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns, two of which were to his favorite target, Andrew Trapp. Trapp caught 3 passes for 128 yards, two of which were touchdowns. 

“The chemistry between those two is great,” said Holtz, the Eagles’ head coach..

One of Trapp’s biggest plays was a 58-yard touchdown reception.

“I knew the ball was going to me,” Trapp said. “I just ran, I wasn’t really thinking.”

The Eagles’ offense wasn’t just dominant through the air, but also maintained a solid performance on the ground, led by running back Coby Tabet. Tabet had 2 touchdowns running the ball, including a handoff up the right side of the field for 28 yards, where Tabet walked untouched into the endzone during the first quarter.

Ethan Davidson also recorded a pick-six touchdown in the second quarter, and Trapp returned a punt for a touchdown in the first. 

Madison Highland Prep was stifled by the Eagles’ impressive defensive performance, which included two interceptions and a fumble recovery, and did not score a touchdown until the second half when Holtz decided to play his backups.

The Heat’s first touchdown came off of a kick return by wide receiver Xchyler Tsutsumi in the third quarter, and the second was a pick-six by cornerback David Jimenez in the fourth, off of an awry pass by Scottsdale Christian’s third-string quarterback Jack Filby. Offensively, the Heat was shut out.

After the game, Holtz attributed the recent success to a combination of things.

“Getting our starting quarterback was great,” he said. “Defensively, we are continuing to play well, and run the ball well.”

Scottsdale Christian’s coaches also had high praise for the way their players practiced during the week in preparation for the game.

“They practiced hard all week, and it showed today,” said assistant coach Maverick Gamez. “Everybody came out and just made plays, did their jobs, and took care of business.”

Scottsdale Christian ends its four-game home stand finishing 3-1, with their one loss coming against Pima, the second-ranked team in the 2A Division, according to MaxPreps.com. Next week, the Eagles will travel to Valley Lutheran (3-3) in Phoenix, hoping to extend their recent streak of success.