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

 

Valley Christian started the first 35 seconds of the October 4 game against Gilbert Christian down 14-0 after fumbling the ball on the first play. After that, the Trojans were playing catch-up the whole game. 

“It hurts, especially to lose to a rival,” Valley Christian captain Luke Snyder said. “it has to strike a fire in us to get at it.”

Ranked No. 11 in the 3A Conference for the first time above the No. 10 spot in five years, (the last time was Valley’s 2019 season at No. 11), the Trojans took their fourth season loss and still look to be in playoff contention after losing to Gilbert Christian in a close contest. Valley Christian is 2-0 in the past two years against Gilbert Christian in the region matchup. The Trojans are currently 1-1 in the 3A Metro region.

Snyder, a starter on offense and defense, scored a touchdown against the Knights and four tackles on the field. The inside linebacker said to not doubt having trust in the team and its future.

“This team never gives up, whether you think it or not. We are constantly in practice trying to get a little better and get ready for our next opponents,” Snyder said.

Despite the loss, the Trojans saw game starts from Caleb Goldman. Goldman is a junior who had his first start as a running back against the Knights. At the half, Goldman had 102 rushing yards for the Trojans.

“I feel like this was my first time to prove how I can play,” Goldman said after the game. “I haven’t started before but I have a good work ethic and I try my hardest in practice every day. I try to get better, and I hope I get more playing time to help my team win more games.”

Goldman was in for Isaiah Macias who received little playing time after fumbling the ball on the second offensive play in the game.

Gill started against the Knights in his second game of the season. The first game was against Scottsdale Christian Academy (41-6).

As a quarterback, Gill had one passing touchdown on the night.

“It's a lot of pressure on me,” Gill said. “I just throw the ball.”

Gill, a junior, currently leads the team with the most passing touchdowns averages 56.0 yards per game, and is .500 in completions in just two games.

Jake Petersen, the Trojans' head coach, said the team had no one to blame for its loss.

“We got to be better on both sides of the ball,” Peterson said. “We didn't finish plays that we needed to on both offense and defense.”