The Arizona College Prep Knights were defeated by the Fountain Hills High School Falcons 31-16 in a Class 3A Metro East matchup on Friday at Hamilton High School.

A Senior Night loss for the Knights (1-6, 0-1 region) is not what they were hoping to get. Fresh off their first win of the season in a 27-21 victory over Paradise Honors, the Knights were looking to go back-to-back against the Falcons (4-4, 2-1).

“It definitely hurts,” senior wide receiver Marte Serrano said.

The Knights seemed to have trouble getting off plays on offense all night against the Falcons. Sophomore quarterback Mark Chavez was sacked eight times and had five turnovers: four interceptions and a fumble.

“One of our main guys on the offensive line was not here,” Knights Coach Myron Blueford said.

Blueford said putting a new player in on the offensive line can result in some communication and playmaking mistakes.

The Knights were close in the game through the first half, trailing 10-9 at halftime. The Knights’ defense played better than usual with an interception and three fumble recoveries.

“Turnovers are everything,” junior linebacker Eric DeCoster said. “The momentum is in your favor, I know after I got my pick, the sideline was psyched.”

Blueford said: “Offensively we know that anytime our offense is on the field, we have the potential of breaking one. We have some really dynamic players.”

The Knights used that momentum in the first half to put numbers on the scoreboard as they went back to their top receiver sophomore Bryan Dyson.

Dyson had two touchdowns on six catches for 99 yards. However, keeping the momentum going late in the game was difficult for the Knights in the second half.

“What really hurts is when we don’t convert,” Blueford said. “It’s a little deflating,”

Blueford said it could hurt the team’s momentum when the the offense is unable to capitalize on the defense forcing a turnover.

Falcons junior running back Ahmed Momoh ran all over the Knights, racking up 189 yards and two touchdowns. Both of Momoh’s touchdowns were 50-yard runs in the third quarter.

The Knights’ defense played well and tough but seemed to have run out of gas in the second half.

“Most teams are bigger than us,” DeCoster said. “Their lines are bigger than us; their receivers are bigger than us.

”We need to just forget it and just play ball like we did.”