Deer Valley Opens Season With 14-0 Shutout Over Agua Fria

Deer Valley opened its season Tuesday night with a 14-0 shutout victory over Agua Fria in a girls varsity flag football matchup at Agua Fria High School.

The season-opening win moved Deer Valley to 1-0, while Agua Fria began its season 0-1.

The Skyhawks established a 7-0 advantage during the first half. Sierra Hill scored Deer Valley’s first touchdown, with quarterback Alison Morris delivering the pass.

Deer Valley’s defense also made its presence felt early. Camille Hernandez recorded an interception as the Skyhawks kept the Owls off the scoreboard and carried a 7-0 lead into halftime.

Neither team scored during the third quarter, leaving Deer Valley with the same one-touchdown advantage heading into the fourth.

The Skyhawks finally added some breathing room late in the game.

With 5:50 remaining in the fourth quarter, Morris connected with Olivia Martin for a touchdown to extend Deer Valley’s lead. Hernandez converted the extra point to make it 14-0 and finished the game 2-for-2 on extra-point attempts.

Morris, a senior No. 12 who plays quarterback and linebacker, said the touchdown connection with Martin came from recognizing what was available throughout the game.

“Throughout the game, I saw that my corners were open. I trusted Olivia and saw the corner open, so I had her do a play that I knew she was open through. She caught it, and we got it,” Morris said.

Opening the season with a victory also provided an early confidence boost for Deer Valley.

“I think this shows that we can do it. A lot of the girls were nervous, so getting this win and showing that we can win sets us up good for the future,” Morris said.

While Deer Valley’s offense produced two touchdowns, its defense made sure that was more than enough. The Skyhawks kept Agua Fria scoreless throughout the season opener to complete the shutout.

Defensive coach Jaron credited the unit’s ability to move forward and remain focused regardless of what happened on the previous play.

“Their tenacity and their will to move on to the next play. They didn’t dwell when something didn’t go their way; they simply kept moving forward and showed out every single time,” Jaron said.

Deer Valley head coach Jesse said the focus was on playing clean and maintaining the team’s approach after carrying a narrow 7-0 advantage into halftime.

“We had to play clean and fast. That was the game plan from the beginning. We had a bad drive right before the half where we stalled, but I knew they were going to come back and get another touchdown,” Jesse said.

That second touchdown eventually came through Morris and Martin in the fourth quarter, while Deer Valley’s defense finished the job on the other side of the ball.

Despite beginning the season with a victory and a shutout, Jesse wants the Skyhawks to continue improving as the season progresses.

“Just take it a game at a time. They played well. They played good. I want to see them play great,” Jesse said.

Deer Valley left Agua Fria with a 14-0 victory and a 1-0 record to begin the season, while the Owls fell to 0-1 after the opening-night loss.