There's always an emphasis to prevent any shortcomings on homecoming. Paradise Valley looks to have that mentality locked in before hosting Flowing Wells on Friday, once again trying to defend its undefeated season.

Last year, the Trojans started off strong with a 3-0 record until they traveled to Flowing Wells and lost the game, 50-43, in dramatic fashion. Paradise Valley senior quarterback Ben Finley threw an interception with around a minute left in the fourth quarter. Finley still wishes he had a do-over.

“Wish I had the play back, but we came up short,” Finley said.

Finley will get his shot again Friday with another strong 3-0 start to the 2019 season already in motion. The Trojans have beaten Central, South Mountain and Shadow Mountain and look to go 4-0 in front of the homecoming crowd.

Finley acknowledged the importance of another homecoming game but says the agenda on the field stays the same.

“It’s definitely an important game, but we’re going to treat it the same as the others," Finley said. "We got to win, and that’s pretty much the mentality, it’s just winning.”

With expectations to avenge their loss  against an 0-3 Flowing Wells team this season, Paradise Valley head coach Greg Davis says there’s extra significance on a homecoming game.

“We put a lot of importance on it because it’s a chance for our alumni to come back and see what we’re about,” Davis said. “We want those Trojans from the past to be proud of what they see on the field.”

Davis said he is looking to defend Flowing Wells with more discipline than last time. Davis explained that Flowing Wells plays with a tighter offense, or “in the box”, as he described the Caballero offense. This time around, Davis wants his players to be more prepared for the misdirection that Flowing Wells executes, but knows it’ll be easier said than done.

“It’s definitely not an easy task to get ready for a team that does that,” Davis said.

Kyle Krautstrunk, the senior starting running back for Paradise Valley, is also looking to have a stronger showing. In last season’s matchup, Finley threw the game-ending interception intending to get the ball to Krautstrunk, but the running back felt he was fouled on the play. Krautstrunk believed there was a missed pass interference call and said there’s more of a chip on his shoulder in this year’s showdown because of it.

“This year, we’re just looking to go out and do our thing, get another win,” said Krautstrunk.