Haley Smilow is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Scottsdale Christian Academy for AZPreps365.com.

If trusting culture leads to wins, then Scottsdale Christian Academy has the right formula. In their home opener Friday night, the Eagles soared to a 49-14 victory over the 2A Trivium Prep Crimson Knights.

The game began with a kickoff from SCA that Trivium Prep's kick returner fumbled into the Eagles' hands. Seconds into the game, captain Will Chambers led his team off the field, getting fans on their feet.

"Fumbles are something we talk about a lot," SCA coach Nate Holtz said. "Every once in a while, you get some breaks, and tonight we got those breaks."

Senior quarterback Ben Tobin took advantage of the good field position, avoiding multiple defenders and scrambling into the end zone to give SCA an early 6-0 lead.

Nearly four minutes later, Tobin showed off his arm, throwing a 30-yard pass to wide receiver Braden Wales. Wales jumped and brought the ball down for yet another touchdown.

Before the quarter finished, Tobin showed off the wheels one more time as he scrambled roughly 35 yards to give the Eagles a 21-0 lead.

"He's just a process guy," Chambers said of the quarterback. "He's so committed, especially in the film room. He was out for two weeks, but he came back yesterday and was able to get right back to where he needed to be."

The second quarter started with yet another Tobin touchdown.

"Ben just knows he's a playmaker," Holtz said. "But he's a humble playmaker and  has been a tremendous leader for us. He'll do anything for the team. He doesn't care about how many touchdowns he had. He just wants to help the team win."

Tobin helped lead his team to victory, but eventually, he came out for a rest and quick medical check on his knee. That gave freshman Jack Atkinson a chance in his first high school game. Atkinson didn't lead SCA to any touchdowns, but he did help move the ball.

"We are excited about his future," Holtz said.

With five minutes left in the second quarter, Tobin returned. He responded with two more scores: the first a successful flea-flicker and the second another touchdown pass to Wales.

Heading into the second half, SCA looked to continue its dominating performance.

"At halftime, it was just keep going, 0-0," Chambers said. "You never know what's going to happen, and you can't give up."

In the third and fourth quarters, Eagles fans settled down a bit, as the team scored one touchdown early in the third. The Crimson Knights, however, scored two touchdowns against SCA's younger players.

"The young guys came in, and they did a good job, even though they let up two scores," Chambers said.

The game ended with a field goal from Trivium Prep, a lot of touchdowns, and a prayer from Tobin. Still, Holtz says the main takeaway was the strength of the offensive and defensive lines.

"Without them, we don't dominate as well as we did on either side of the ball,'' he said. "I attribute a lot of the win to them, but we have a lot of skilled guys."

The Eagles play at home Friday against the 0-1 Heritage Academy Laveen Heroes.