Alex Gelman is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Carl Hayden Community High School for AZPreps365.com.

Carl Hayden (2-2, 0-0, 4A Big Sky) will travel to Alhambra (0-4, 0-0, 5A Metro) at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Last season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carl Hayden was forced to shorten their football team’s schedule to one game. This season, the Falcons have a full schedule and are ready to prove they can compete.

Coach Steven Arenas said his message is, “Cherish the moment. Live in the moment and be thankful for it. We got to play Camelback last year in our one game. We lost by three points and it’s a game we felt we should’ve taken care of.”

Carl Hayden will be led by quarterback Jaime Zayas when they take the field against Alhambra. This season, Zayas has attempted just 13 passes, completing five, one for a touchdown. Zayas’s production comes on the ground. He has carried the ball 25 times this season, for three touchdowns.

“He was our backup guy last year. He came in because of his leadership skills. He’s got a good arm, good presence back there. He just leads us, he’s always composed. He’s the leader of the offense,” Arenas said at practice on Sept. 23.

“We win as a team. We lose as a team. I just want to lead my team, help get a win,” said Zayas.

At practice, Zayas was adamant that this offense relies on its running backs. Sophomore Kendre Pride and senior Christian Chavez lead the team in the backfield. To start the year, the two running backs have split carries, both showing their productivity while out on the field.

“I wanna play for my team, it’s my last year,” Chavez said.

Pride leads the two, with 554 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Chavez, the senior, is averaging 8.6 yards a carry this season, rushing for four touchdowns.

“This year we are fortunate to have some size and speed at running back. We have always relied on our offensive line…that just fits us, who we are as a school and who our kids are as people, the neighborhood they come from,” Arenas said on the run game.

In a 20-13 home loss against North on Sept. 10, Carl Hayden turned the ball over five times.

“With five turnovers like that and only losing by one touchdown, I think that was a wakeup call but also gave us a reality check for how good our defense can be,” said Arenas. “The first couple games, just learning the value of executing, taking care of the football, not making mental mistakes. Penalties and fumbles have always plagued us. That is something in those first three games, we learned early. We like to learn the hard way.”

The Falcon defense is led by 6-foot-3 senior Jordan Talbert, who leads the district with 7.0 sacks (currently 8.0) this season. The rest of the defense has just three sacks so far this season.

“He only got to play one game last year so it kind of impacted the film he had in his recruiting. He is just a monster. Really long, athletic. A legit 6-foot-3, impressive wingspan. We are expecting a big year out of him. We hope for him to continue to turn some heads and make a future in college football,” Arenas said of Talbert.

Hayden is hoping the run game and defense travel on the road, while Alhambra is hoping for its first win of the season.