PRESCOTT VALLEY — James Hefferin III completed 16 of 25 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown, Bryce Coston ran for two scores and No. 3-ranked Prescott completed their first undefeated season in 33 years with a 31-28 win over rival Bradshaw Mountain on Thursday night.

You’d have to go all the way back to 1993 to find the last undefeated season for the Badgers (10-0, 6-0 4A Grand Canyon).

In that year, Bill Clinton was just getting his presidency underway, “Whoomp There it is” by Tag Team was everyone’s favorite song, the siege in Waco, Texas, was all over the news, the ever-popular “X-Files” television show debuted, and Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to a three-peat before retiring to play baseball.

Yes, it was that long ago!

“We have a great group of kids that love and believe in each other,” Prescott coach Cody Collett said via text to AzPreps365.com.

In the final minute of the game and trailing 28-25, Prescott drove down the field and found themselves inside Bradshaw Mountain’s own 5-yard line. The ensuing play caused some controversy everyone was talking about the next day.

As the Badgers lined up to spike the ball from the 1-yard line, Hefferin appeared to take a knee. Right before his knee hit the ground, however, video reply shows the ball being spiked. It’s too close to tell either way, but the odd turn of events certainly had everyone chiming in, even the mayor of Prescott Valley on his own Facebook page.

Nevertheless, Prescott lined up with 3 seconds to go, and Brody Hanna carried the ball across the goal line to make it 31-28, which was the final.

 “It came down to Prescott made the plays when they needed to in the fourth quarter,” Bradshaw Mountain coach Bob Young said via text. “We make one stop or get one first down on offense and we win.”

The No. 4-ranked Bears (7-3, 5-1 4A Grand Canyon) had a few standout players in Thursday night’s affair, including quarterback Taye Evans, who had two touchdown passes to Caden Dabney and Kyler Ross Centers.

UP NEXT

Prescott and Bradshaw Mountain await the 4A state playoff bracket reveal show is scheduled for noon Saturday, Oct. 31, on the AzPreps365’s YouTube page.

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