Andrew Dirst is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Valley Lutheran High School for AZPreps365.com

On what was a beautiful night in the northern Valley, the Valley Lutheran Flames took on the Scottsdale Christian Eagles in a 2A Verde battle Friday in Phoenix. 

It got away from Valley Lutheran early. Scottsdale’s five consecutive touchdowns in the first quarter cemented its 72-7 win over Valley Lutheran – its third consecutive victory over the Flames. 

Valley Lutheran was down three starters going into the matchup, with defensive backs/wide receivers Monico Grado and Caynan Chapman missing time, as well as linebacker/offensive guard Tyler Boyajian. 

With these key injuries to their receiving core, Valley’s offense was spearheaded with a rushing and screen-focused attack with emphasis on getting senior running back Jason Stanfield Jr. the football. 

On the opening kickoff, Valley Lutheran looked to have recovered a pooch kick, but, upon review, the ball went barely out of bounds. 

Scottsdale Christian took advantage of this swing, and it promptly marched down the field for an opening-drive touchdown – and never looked back. 

The Eagles, led by head coach Mike Sheahan, boasted a dynamic rushing and passing attack, led by senior quarterback Jack Atkinson, who threw for over 100 yards and three touchdowns in the one half he played, as he was relieved by a backup in the second half. 

Senior running back Jacob Trapp also led Scottsdale’s offense early with a 33-yard touchdown early in the first quarter, and a pick six a couple of drives later. 

But where the game was really decided was on special teams. 

Scottsdale Christian was dominant on special teams. With punt return touchdowns from senior wide receivers Andrew Trapp and Caeden Murphy, and nearly every punt return gaining plus yardage, the Eagles were set up to score in Flames territory on nearly every possession. 

Lutheran’s lone score was also from special teams, with a spark early following an explosive kickoff return touchdown from Jason Stanfield Jr.

“They just left the middle wide open, so, one cut, and I was gone,” Stanfield Jr. said. 

Valley Lutheran just wasn’t able to get anything going on offense, but the team is hoping to learn from this performance and bounce back in the coming weeks. 

“We need to be able to run the ball a little more consistently,” said head coach Jason Stanfield Sr. “We run the ball a little more consistent, we should be fine.” 

After giving up 62 in the first half, the Flames defense only gave up 10 more in the final two quarters of the game. Granted, Scottsdale Christian was playing some of its backups, and the clock was running, but coach Stanfield said that the team’s halftime adjustments helped account for a more competitive second half. 

Entering tonight’s contest, the Flames were 2-5 overall with a 1-2 section record, which was good for fifth overall in the division. Now they fall to 2-6 (1-3), with now three straight losses. 

The Eagles have now won four straight games, improving to 6-2 and 4-0 in conference play. 

Going into the next two weeks, assistant coach KiAndre Whitmore said that the team needed to focus on playing a full game and to not let it get away from them early. 

“It was a tough, hard-fought game by us,” senior wide receiver Xavier Espinoza said. “We just expect to keep fighting.”