Zach Bradshaw is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Valley Christian High School for AZPreps365.com.

Searching for the team’s fourth-straight victory, the Valley Christian High School Trojans came out firing against the Phoenix Christian High School Cougars in a 4A Metro East matchup.

The Trojans dominated the game, winning 56-0 and recording the team’s third shutout of the season.

The victory started with a 50-yard touchdown pass that senior quarterback Hunter Heeringa lofted over the Cougars defense to hit tight end Adam Bradford in the opening two minutes for the game’s first score. The Trojans didn’t look back.

They continued to score touchdowns on seven consecutive drives in the first two quarters.

Heeringa notched three touchdown passes while rushing for another. He threw no interceptions.

Heeringa threw two touchdown passes – one that traveled 14 yards and another one 36 yards – to senior wide receiver Ethan Heinrich. It marked the ninth time this season Heeringa has thrown a touchdown pass to Heinrich, and the duo has now notched over 350 yards of aerial offense.

“He's just a monster,” Heeringa said of Heinrich. “He just goes up and fights for the ball. Anytime I throw it to him, I know he's gonna come down with it because he’s just a dog.”

Trojans head coach Jake Petersen said he’s proud of Heeringa and his ability to connect with his receivers. “His progress from last year to this year has been phenomenal,” Petersen said. “You

have to give him credit for being prepared and getting ready, and I couldn’t be prouder of his growth.”

Senior running back Ethan Tovar had a productive night, breaking 100 yards rushing to accompany a two-yard rushing touchdown. His 46-yard run in the first quarter helped set up a 14-0 lead for the Trojans.

When asked about the team’s effort in the game, Tovar said they, “just needed to focus on executing and not making little mistakes.” That mentality and execution, Tovar said, helped the Cougars win the game.

The Valley Christian team was even able to give junior quarterback Gunnar Link a chance at the helm, and he took advantage. He found an open Bradford on an out-route to score from 14 yards away in the second quarter, and then threw another touchdown in the fourth quarter to senior running back Luke Bastian on an 11-yard score.

Link, who’s a quarterback/safety combination player, also intercepted a goal line pass on defense.

On the Phoenix Christian side of things, senior Angel Gutierrez played almost every snap for the Cougars. The dual wide receiver and defensive back was targeted on over 10 passes, and he even doubled as a kickoff returner. He ran the ball out for 15-plus yards on every kick he returned.

“He’s always a gamer,” said Cougar head coach Dan Fort postgame. “He always comes out and gives us his best and we can count on him to make plays for us.”

Though his team wasn’t able to get any points on the board, Fort said he was proud of his team for fighting through adversity.

“We came out of this game healthy,” Fort said. “The last couple of weeks, we couldn't say that. So at least tonight we came out healthy as far as I can tell.”

The Cougars, as Fort puts it, will need to “go back to the drawing board and figure out what works.” He said the game and the season have presented many challenges, but the team must look toward figuring out the best ways to compete.

As for the Trojans’ defense, the unit played soundly all game. They forced two interceptions and only let the Cougars inside the red zone once. The secondary held the Cougars to under 100 yards passing while bringing blitzes to slow down the Cougars’ run game.

It’s about trust, said defensive coordinator Achike Morah.

“I tell them just to trust themselves, trust their coaches, and trust the process,” Morah said. “Tonight, they did that. They executed the game plan and played hard, so I'm just proud of them.”

With the win, the all-time series between the Cougars and the Trojans is now tied at 15 games apiece. The rivalry only gets more entertaining now that both teams are part of the same region, which wasn’t the case last year.

At the end of the game, players and personnel from both teams huddled in a circled and the coaches spoke about the what an honor it was the play the other team. Players hugged each other and gave words of encouragement.

Players and personnel from both teams gather in a circle postgame to listen to Trojans head coach Jake Petersen at Benson Field in Chandler on Friday. (Zach Bradshaw photo/AZPreps365)

Looking ahead, the Cougars (0-5) will travel to Arizona Lutheran Academy next week for a battle with the Coyotes, while the Trojans (4-1) will host the Payson Longhorns in what will be the annual “Friday Night Lights” game at Benson Field in Chandler.