PRESCOTT VALLEY — Johann Gundermann’s contributions on the field this season may sometimes get overlooked simply due to the standout play of weekly highlight reel, Uriah Tenette.

But Thursday night, there was no doubting the senior’s skillset, or ignoring his impact on not only Prescott football in 2024, but 4A football in its entirety this fall.

The do-it-all receiver had two touchdowns in the biggest game of the season so far for Prescott in a 27-17 victory over cross-town rival Bradshaw Mountain.

It is the sixth straight victory for the Badgers (7-1, 3-0 4A Grand Canyon), which came into Thursday night’s contest having lost three consecutive “Black and Blue” rivalry games against the Bears.

“The focus is to enjoy this one tonight, because it’s been a while since we got [one] against them. Then get ready for a Coconino team that’s phenomenal,” longtime Prescott coach Cody Collett said after a win for his club, which are now 23-9 in the series that dates back to 1993.

HOW THEY SCORED

The Bears took control early, receiving the opening kickoff and running at least 10 straight times before Kylin Jackson punched it across the goal line on a 6-yard touchdown run, making it 7-0 with 6:37 left in the first quarter.

On the ensuing possession, Bears’ linebacker Dreyven Gilbert picked of Tenette on a tip play, giving his team the ball right back. But Prescott stood strong, and eventually Tenette broke free on a 10-yard run for a score to even the game at 7-7 with 6:28 to play in the first half.

To begin the second half, Gundermann found a seam as he needed only 13 seconds to sprint down the left sideline on an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as the Bears took a 13-7 lead at the 11:37 mark.

“Johann is an amazing athlete, he’s the fastest kid I’ve coached in 25 years. That was the first return I’ve ever seen where I said the kid was gone and he was at the 20-yardline. That’s the kind of speed he has,” Collett said.

The senior knew it was big play in the game before he ever crossed the goal line.

“It felt great. I hadn’t had a return all season, and me and Josiah were talking and I was like, ‘Jo, today has got to be the game that I’m going to get a return,’” Gundermann said. “In the first half I had a big mistake, but I took that mistake and used it as anger and power, and I took that ball down the field.”

The Bears answered quickly after they drove down the field and quarterback Michael Sanford’s quarterback sneak for a score put them back on top, 14-13 with 6:45 to play in third quarter.

But it wouldn’t be long before Tenette would make a play, especially after he was largely held in check much of the night by a stingy Bears’ defense.

On fourth down and a mile, Tenette escaped pressure to find Gundermann on a throw down the middle for a 38-yard touchdown pass, giving Prescott a 20-14 lead with 3:56 to play in the third.

“Huge play, I almost screwed it up. I almost punted, but I changed my mind, and we went for it, and we were alright,” Collett said. “Obviously, a great play by Uriah [Tenette] and Johann went up and got it. I know this game meant a lot to him, so I’m proud of him.”

In the fourth quarter, Trever Head hit a 29-yard field goal for the Bears to cut Prescott’s lead to three, 20-17, with 10:30 remaining in the game, but the Badgers’ offense would run nearly 10 minutes off the clock in the final period, capped off by a Tenette leap over the line of scrimmage with 43 ticks left to seal the deal, 27-17.

“Really proud of our team, they showed resilience. It’s 20-17 and we get the ball back with I believe [10] minutes left, and we chew up the rest of the clock,” Collett said. “I’m really proud of our team. Our senior leaders did a great job.”

BEARS’ REACTION

Bradshaw Mountain head coach Bob Young congratulated the Badgers on a job well done, but said he wasn’t happy, blaming himself for doing a “horrible job" coaching.

"Our kids played their butts off. ... I thought our defense did a pretty good job. Offensively, we stalled on a couple drives. Especially in the first half we went down and scored, but then we started stalling. That’s where we could have taken control of the game, we just didn’t do it,” Young said.

The Bears had won five straight coming into Thursday night.

UP NEXT

Prescott is scheduled to host Coconino on Friday, Nov. 1, in Week 10 action before wrapping up the regular season at Mingus on Nov. 8.

Bradshaw Mountain's (5-3, 2-1 4A Grand Canyon) final two games come at Flagstaff (Oct. 31) and home against Lee Williams on Nov. 8.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X at @AzPreps365Brian or on Facebook at @Five2MediaWorks. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.