In a close call, junior Sam Barnard was named the Fountain Hills High School starting quarterback for week one against Kofa. Barnard and senior Canon Lipps battled for the position and both will be key players for the Falcons this year.

“That doesn’t mean Canon won’t be back there, but Canon’s going in a lot of different spots,” head coach Pete Schermerhorn said. “We’re going to do the best we can to utilize all the talent that we have, and we think making Canon a versatile kid offensively, where he can play multiple positions for us, including quarterback, can give us another dimension of a threat.”

Barnard and Lipps will play both offense and defense, and Schermerhorn said finding a balance so they can rest occasionally influenced the decision. Ahead of week one, Schermerhorn said he expects Lipps to be on the field for nearly every defensive play, and he expects Barnard to play nearly every offensive snap.

Schermerhorn said the defense played well in the scrimmage against Wickenburg on Friday, Aug. 11. On the other side of the ball, the offense was close to breaking off big runs on several plays. He said there’s things to be cleaned up before the season starts, but that was to be expected in a new system.

After the Falcons’ first game on the road, they will host Bourgade Catholic on Friday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. There will be a celebration for the newly installed field before kickoff.