On Friday, August 30th, the Trojans faced off against the Florence Gophers. In the end, the Gophers came out on top 27-20 after a hard-fought game, giving the Trojans their first loss of the season.  

The first quarter did not start the way Valley was hoping. The Trojans were down 12-0 early in the game and knew that they needed to score to cut the deficit before the half. They did just that with a touchdown pass from Isaiah Macias (12) to Caden Palmquest (9). The momentum did not last for long as the Gophers answered, putting Valley down 6-20 at the end of the 2nd Quarter.  

Going into the locker room, Valley wanted to put that half behind them and rebound in the second half. The 3rd quarter was anti-climactic as neither team was able to put points on the board. The score remained 6-20 as they headed into the 4th quarter.  

Valley Christian started the quarter hot, as the first play was a 23-yard touchdown pass to junior Asher Hanzal. It was now 13-20 and the Trojans got a crucial interception from senior Ethan Gomez, making it his second of the game and his 4th pick for the Trojans in the first two games.  

After the Trojans got the ball back, they tied it with another touchdown pass to Hanzal, giving him two touchdown receptions on the night, along with three passing touchdowns for Macias. This was the last of the scoring for Valley as the Gophers came down the field and scored to make the final 27-20. 

When junior lineman Hudson Pickett was asked about the game he said, "we just beat ourselves in this game with our own mistakes and we came into the game with the wrong mindset. We are looking to bounce back this week against Thatcher."