A tight, hard-hitting game between long-time rivals followed script for a half before Bradshaw Mountain High School asserted itself in the third quarter and put away Mingus Union High School, winning 27-14 and taking over the top spot in Grand Canyon region. Mingus fell to third.
The two teams played a scoreless first quarter, but just barely.
The Bears [4-2, 2-0], starting at their own 20-yard line after MUHS kicker Trey Meyer booted the opening kickoff into the end zone for a touchback, advanced past midfield during an 11-play drive.
They found success in the passing game, but key defensive plays by the visiting Marauders [3-3, 2-1] kept them under control.
Trevor Galloway had a tackle for a loss on the second play from scrimmage after Bears quarterback Gunner Bundrick had completed an 11-yard pass on the first play.
Bundrick came back with completions of 17 and 6 yards before Galloway again had a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
Bradshaw Mountain was able to sustain the drive after converting a fourth and one at the Mingus 44, but a botched handoff lost 10 yards and the Bears were forced to punt three plays later.
On the Marauders first play from scrimmage at their own 23, Jason Groth took a pass from Meyer and sprinted 77 yards for a touchdown. However, the apparent score was nullified by a block in the back.
Mingus was able to push the ball to the Bears 38, but a delay of game penalty set them back and they were forced to punt.
Bundrick led his team down the field with his running and passing, but the key play was a 31-yard reverse to Ryan Shaver — called during a Bradshaw Mountain time out — that moved the Bears from their own 34 to the Mingus 35. A few plays later, they were on the 17, as the first quarter came to an end.
The Marauders defense stiffened, prompting a successful field goal attempt that gave Bradshaw a 3-0 lead in its Homecoming Game.
Mingus answered.
After the kickoff bounced out of bounds, giving the Marauders the ball on its 40, the offense needed just five plays to reach the end zone.
On the first play of the drive, Meyer ran for 29 yards, followed by a pair of Groth runs that gained 12 yards. Meyer again kept the ball and gained 15 yards to the Bradshaw 2. On the next play, he took it in for the touchdown, then kicked the extra point to give the visitors a 7-3 lead with about 9 minutes left in the second quarter.
The Marauders defense, however, was unable to protect the lead for long.
A 36-yard kickoff return gave the Bears good field position at their own 37. Four plays and a 15-yard facemask penalty later, Shaver caught a 12-yard pass for a touchdown and a 10-7 lead.
Bundrick completed all three of his pass attempts for 52 yards to fuel the scoring drive.
On the Marauders’ subsequent possession, they advanced the ball into Bradshaw territory, but the drive fizzled at the 46.
Meyer’s punt pinned the Bears deep at their own 13 with about three-and-a-half minutes left in the half, but Bundrick again led his team down the field. He completed passes on the first three plays of the drive, gaining 36 yards, then ran for 15 more.
After Charles Hardy tackled him for a loss, Bundrick completed a 22-yard pass.
His next pass was incomplete, but he was hit hard — and late — by a Marauders defender. The personal foul penalty moved the ball to the Mingus 15.
The defense, however, stood its ground, tackling a receiver for a five-yard loss, which was followed by a delay of game penalty on the Bears. After an incompletion in the end zone, Bradshaw opted to go for it on fourth and 15 rather than attempt a 37-yard field goal, but failed.
The Marauders took over on downs and completed a 16-yard pass to Groth before the clock ran out on the first half.
The Bears outgained Mingus 219 yards to 159 in the half, but the visitors were down just 10-7.
That would soon change.
After taking the second-half kickoff, the Marauders were unable to sustain the drive despite an 18-yard run by Juan Ruiz.
Meyer’s punt gave Bradshaw the ball at the Bears 27.
Twelve plays later — despite a sack by Alex Nelson that set the Bears back 13 yards — Bundrick hit Nick Othon for an 11-yard touchdown pass and a 17-7 lead with five minutes left in the third quarter. The scoring strike came on fourth and three.
The turning point of the game came — as it often does — on a turnover, the first of the night.
A Mingus fumble gave Bradshaw the ball near midfield.
It took the Bears four plays to score. Bundrick hit Othon for 28 yards and 17 yards, the latter for a touchdown and a 24-7 lead.
The next Mingus drive ended quickly with another fumble.
Bradshaw turned to running back Olijah Sally, a transfer from Chicago who had to sit out the team’s first five games. He carried the ball on four straight plays, gaining 28 tough yards. For the game, he ran 17 times for 124 yards.
A pass interference penalty in the end zone gave the Bears the ball on the Mingus 8, but they settled for a field goal when the Marauders defense tackled Sally for a four-yard loss on third and goal from the 1. The kick came on the first play of the fourth quarter.
From there, Bradshaw was able to drain the clock, but a fumble that gave Mingus possession deep inside Bears territory turned into a garbage-time score for the Marauders when Groth ran it in from four yards out with about a minute and a half left in the game, making the final score 27-14.
Groth led the team in rushing, gaining 56 yards on nine carries. As a team, Mingus ran the ball 30 times for 128 yards. Meyer completed five passes in nine attempts for 115 yards.
Mingus hosts Prescott High School Friday, Oct. 8.
