Jacob Doczy is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Valley Christian High School for AZPreps365.com.

CHANDLER — No. 5 Valley Christian narrowly avoided a nightmare homecoming Friday.

A night that was filled with carnival games, festivities and school tradition was supposed to be capped off with a comfortable win over No. 15 Seton Catholic, which has struggled against a tough schedule.

Instead, the Trojans’ offense struggled to move the ball, and the game was tight deep into the fourth quarter.

The possibility of Valley Christian suffering a stunning upset to its 3A Metro Region foe looked like a very real one.

Despite the offense stalling, Valley Christian’s defense stepped up big. The Trojans held Seton Catholic to just one touchdown to survive an upset bid, with a 10-7 win over their crosstown rivals

“I don’t think we were as physical as we wanted to be,” Valley Christian head coach Jake Petersen said. “I think we took some things for granted a little bit.”

Junior kicker Noah Daniels’ field goal in the third quarter gave Valley Christian (5-2, 2-1) a 10-7 lead, but Seton Catholic drove the ball down the field on the ensuing possession.

However, a holding penalty on what would have been the go-ahead touchdown backed Seton Catholic up, leading to a missed field goal by junior kicker Anthony Cavazos.

The final nail in the coffin came on the Sentinels’ final drive.

Seton Catholic (1-6, 0-3) got new life after Valley Christian botched a snap on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line late in the fourth. 

The Sentinels drove the ball to the Valley Christian 47-yard line, but senior Lane Russell saved the day with a game-sealing interception.

Offensively, junior running back D’Andre Dickerson Jr. is normally able to carry Valley Christian’s offense on his back.

Dickerson entered the night with 982 rushing yards, the third-most in the 3A Conference.

However, despite finding the end zone for the Trojans’ only touchdown, the Seton Catholic defense prevented Dickerson from being his usual explosive self.

Petersen said his team struggled to handle Seton Catholic’s run blitz.

“It’s hard to block eight people with six or seven guys,” Petersen said. “We have to find ways to execute the throws a little bit better.”

Despite the loss, Seton Catholic head coach Matt Hanshaw said he was pleased with how his team played.

“Our guys played super tough,” Hanshaw said. “We’re down guys, but we’ve been fighting all year, and I think the guys have done a heck of a job just to be ready week in and week out.”

Hanshaw also said he liked how his defense handled Dickerson.

“They played their tails off,” Hanshaw said. “They did a really good job — Run fits, tackling, getting to the football all night long.”

Valley Christian’s defense allowed its second-lowest point total all season.

Seton Catholic had opportunities, but other than a touchdown late in the first half, the Sentinels couldn’t finish drives when they had the chance.

This defense-dominated game was the polar opposite of the teams’ meeting last season, where Valley Christian won a 48-38 shootout at Seton Catholic.

Despite the offensive struggles, Petersen said he is still happy to get a homecoming win.

“You never want to lose on homecoming because you want all these people to be here and see something special,” Petersen said.