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

Scottsdale Christian Academy’s football team received a free home-field advantage last Thursday night. Originally slated to travel to Glendale Preparatory Academy in Peoria, the field was deemed unplayable due to flooding. The game was then moved to Scottsdale Christian, where the Eagles beat Glendale Prep 61-8. 

Glendale Prep fumbled minutes into the game, and this opening possession set the tone for the rest of the contest.

One minute after this fumble, Eagles outside wide receiver Caeden Murphy caught a short slant from quarterback Jaden Trapp and ran 11 yards up the middle of the field into the end zone. Kick returner Coby Tabet nailed the extra point, and maintained a perfect kicking percentage for the remainder of the game. He scored again on the next drive on an inside run where he juked his way up the left side of the field for a 62-yard touchdown run. A fumble on the Glendale Prep one-yard line allowed Jaden Trapp to score on a designed quarterback run. With 6 minutes, 4 seconds to go in the first, the Eagles were up 21-0.

Trapp’s second and only other pass for the game came on the last possession of the first quarter when Caeden Murphy ran for 44 yards and another touchdown to put the Eagles up by 28. The Eagles scored twice more before halftime – on runs by both Andrew and Jacob Trapp, to put the score at 41-0 going into the locker room. 

A few minutes before the players returned to the field to begin the third quarter, a downpour began.

The heavy rainfall affected the ball security of both teams. There were three fumbles and numerous dropped passes within the first 10 minutes of the half, but Scottsdale Christian appeared unfazed. Backup quarterback Eli Gramenz started the second half, and touchdown runs from Evan Joyce and Ethan Davidson – who also scored a punt return touchdown in the contest— pushed the Eagles’ lead to 61-0.

Glendale Prep scored its only touchdown on its second-to-last possession. Receiver Manny Valenzuela took a short pass from Joshua McHale up the sideline and all the way down the field, stiff-arming a defender before walking into the end zone. Glendale went for two, and Valenzuela brought in another catch to make the score 61-8.

The Griffins would recover an onside kick on the next play, but their comeback attempt came too late. After a Griffins interception on the final play of the game, the final score was 61-8, and fourth-year Eagles coach Nate Holtz and his team walked off the field in a celebratory fashion. 

With the win, Scottsdale Christian now is 3-2, and Glendale Prep is 1-2. Holtz’s team will be returning home again tomorrow, September 30, to host Veritas Prep.