Dominic-James Cornforth is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Fountain Hills High School for AZPreps365.com

FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. — The Fountain Hills Falcons wasted no time giving their homecoming crowd something to celebrate Friday night.

Sophomore Cole Johnson returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, setting the tone for a dominant 38-0 victory over Chino Valley at Fountain Hills High School. The win marked the Falcons’ third victory of the regular season, improving their record to 3-6 after opening the season with five straight losses. 

An electric atmosphere served as the backdrop of the night, with Fountain Hill’s student section seemingly enjoying every moment. When the Cougars committed penalties, chants of “You can’t do that!” accompanied rhythmic clapping. 

The Fountain Hills band played nonstop during the game, keeping the energy high. (Dominic-James Cornforth/AZPreps365)

For Fountain Hills coach Nick Rock, who grew up near Chino Valley in Prescott, defeating a northern Arizona rival carried additional significance. 

“It feels great, man,” Rock said. “Not much has changed since I was seven years old, so I’d love to keep it that way. Hopefully, we can do it again next year.”

A successful extra point gave Fountain Hills an immediate 7-0 advantage, though neither offense found success on the following drives until the second quarter, when the Falcons began pulling away.

“That touchdown, I just gotta give credit to defensive back (Christian Theisen) No. 22,” Johnson said. “He had an amazing block and made it green grass ahead.”

Later, in the second quarter, Johnson intercepted a Chino Valley pass, giving the Falcons another opportunity to capitalize. Fountain Hills moved downfield before sophomore Robert Mason caught a pass and ran into the end zone for the team’s second touchdown. The extra point extended the lead to 14-0.

The Cougars continued to struggle offensively, leading the team to attempt a fake kick on fourth down, but the play failed, returning possession to Fountain Hills. 

The Falcons soon encountered difficulties of their own. A false start penalty pushed the offense backward, and confusion before the next play forced Rock to call a timeout to avoid another penalty. 
Fountain Hills eventually settled for a field goal, extending the lead to 17-0.

“Very frustrating moment,” Rock said. “We got a lot of young guys in for the field goal playing some different spots they haven't played, so they didn't really know where to line up.”

Senior Kainoa Brilhante intercepted another Chino Valley pass later in the second quarter, Fountain Hills capitalized on it with another passing touchdown, taking a 24-0 lead into halftime. 

Despite the commanding advantage, Rock emphasized maintaining intensity. 

“The motto at halftime was our foot’s on the pedal for four quarters,” Rock said. “When we go out there, it's still 0-0, I don’t care what the score is.”

Sophomore Judah Liske carried that momentum into the third quarter, scoring on a long rushing touchdown, extending the lead to 31-0. Later in the quarter, Liske caught a touchdown pass for his second score of the night, pushing the lead to 38-0.

Liske also intercepted a Chino Valley pass in the third quarter, giving the Falcons three interceptions for the game. 

“Our offense just could not convert a first down or get any momentum with the ball,” said Chino Valley head coach Brandon Gschweng. “Just interceptions and bad passes and drop passes.”

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, and Fountain Hills ran out the clock to secure the shutout. 

Rock credited defensive coordinator Andrew Hoyt for the performance. 

“This was his first shutout as a (defensive) coordinator,” Rock said. “He called a hell of a game.”

With its third victory secured, Fountain Hills hopes to carry its homecoming momentum into the final regular-season matchup at home on Oct. 23.