Phoenix Christian head coach Brian Cole had no doubt quarterback Adrian Fleming would quickly adjust to his new surroundings.

“He had to sit the first five games and last week we played him on defense a little bit,” he said. “Today we ran the spread, so we could all see what he’s got. He definitely performed.”

In his Phoenix Christian debut, a 42-18 win over Santa Cruz Valley, the junior transfer from division 6A North High School took over the second half, finishing 7-for-13 in passing with 185 yards and a touchdown through the air to go with 15 carries for 221 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

“At first, I was nervous,” he said. “It was a close game in the first half but the coaches made some good adjustments at the halftime and I just feel like we came out and executed well. I just came out and did what I had to do for my teammates.”

In a close first half, the Phoenix Christian Cougars edged the Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils by a single point before turning it on and winning the second half 35-12.

“Our defense in the first half played awesome,” Cole said. “They set the tone for the game. We had a couple 4th down stops and they played really good tonight, especially in the first half.”

Fleming’s arm provided the moment of the night, a 61-yard connection with junior wideout Howard Russell for a touchdown.

“I saw a great-placed ball,” Russell said. “[Fleming] just placed it at a point where only I could get it.”

Arizona’s leading rusher heading in to the game, Cougar running back Man-Man Freeman finished the game with 98 yards on 15 carries and had two touchdowns. He gave the crowd a 56-yard rushing touchdown to cap the game in the fourth quarter.

“We know Man-Man’s gonna grab a lot of attention,” Cole said. “So we ran some fakes with him and he was able to make some big plays.”

The Cougars defense forced three turnovers to start the game, including an interception by sophomore safety Jose Herrera, who was playing quarterback before Fleming’s eligibility was secured for the rest of the season.

“It’s a different view over there,” he said. “I just saw pass protection and I looked at it and then stayed away to make the quarterback think he had space, then once he threw the ball, I jumped it.”

In the matchup between the two highest-ranked teams in the Agua Fria division, according to AIA, the Cougars knew they could make a statement.

“There are some good teams in this league,” Cole said. “But, after this win, we have a great shot.”

Santa Cruz Valley quarterback Austin Hukill went down with a leg injury with eight minutes to go in the third quarter and did not return, but this wasn’t cause for concern from the Cougars.

“It didn’t change anything for me,” Fleming said. “I just had to stick to my game, get out in the open space and just run it.”

For Santa Cruz Valley, the points in the first half came via a 55-yard touchdown run from junior wide receiver David Avilez and the second half points came from a pair of short-yardage runs from senior running back Arik Padilla. Two point-after attempts and one two-point conversion attempt were unsuccessful.

Phoenix Christian stands at 6-1 on the season and remains on course to have a chance at the preseason goal: a state championship.

“That’s always our goal here,” Cole said. “If that isn’t the goal, there’s something wrong, but I think we got a shot.”

The Cougars take on Heritage Academy away on Oct. 11, at 7 p.m.