Foothill turned to its ground game to earn a 27-0 home win over Desert Pines on Friday in its Class 5A Division I league opener.

After mostly finding success through the air four games into the season, the Falcons (5-0, 1-0), No. 7 in the Review-Journal’s 5A rankings, piled up 176 yards rushing against the Jaguars (1-4, 0-1).

“We’re known as a passing school, but we ran the ball,” Foothill coach Vernon Brown said. “We’re trying to be a 60-40 ballclub and be more balanced.”

Senior running back Eugene Altobella led the charge for Foothill with 109 yards on 16 carries. He also hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass.

Despite all the success Foothill had on the ground, the team scored only one rushing touchdown.

In the first half, Avante Gates Jr. led the Falcons down the field with rushes of 17 and 14 yards, then finished up the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run that put the Falcons up 13-0 after the extra point was missed.

Although the running game carried the bulk of the offense, the Falcons did find success in the air. Quarterback Brennon Arthur finished the game with 177 yards and three touchdowns.

Arthur got the scoring started early in the first quarter with a 29-yard pass that wide receiver Bryce Rodriguez pulled down to go up 7-0.

With a 13-0 lead at halftime, Arthur only needed to complete two passes for the rest of the game, but both went for touchdowns. One was the 11-yard strike to Altobella, and the other was a 47-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Jaymen Tiss, who reached over the defender for the grab to extend the lead to 27-0.

Foothill will have an opportunity to rest on its bye week before heading to Bishop Gorman on Oct. 5.

“This was a big win for us, Brown said, “because we are now 1-0 in the league, have the bye coming up, and gives us extra time to prepare for Gorman.”