PRESCOTT — Super sophomore Daryl Little caught two touchdown passes and took an interception 70-plus yards for another score, leading Thunderbird to a 38-35 victory over Prescott on Friday night.

It was the third straight win for the Titans (3-0, 0-0 4A Skyline), which almost coughed up a victory after taking a 31-point lead but surrendering 28 unanswered points in the second half to the Badgers.

“All week we talked about enduring. We’ve endured all this stuff, so we had to keep pushing. Bend don’t break, and we stand by that,” Little said. “We trying to go to the ship, that’s the big goal. Day by day, we have to get better and better. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Little’s interception return for a touchdown came with 10:41 to play in the third quarter and gave the Thunderbirds a commanding 38-7 lead.

But Prescott fought back, slowly chipping away at their opponents lead, starting with Jacob Chamberlain’s 10-yard touchdown run to make it 38-14 at the 8:32 mark in the third period.

With 1:35 left in the third, backup quarterback Trace Overton, who took the place of the injured Giovanni Pugliese earlier in the quarter, ran for a 3-yard score for Prescott, and after a two-point conversion made it 38-22.

On the ensuing kickoff, Prescott recovered the onside kick and Prescott head coach Cody Collett called for a trick play, an old-school flea flicker where Overton tossed it over to Nicholas Phillips, who found Kenny Miller-Terry on a 30-yard touchdown pass and suddenly, the Badgers trailed 38-28 with 7 seconds left in the third period.

“I was proud of our kids. They battled. They fought. They didn’t have any quit in them. They faced a lot of adversity tonight. We play a schedule that challenges us. We feel we’re at the point in the program where we’re playing the Thunderbirds, and the Northwest Christian’s and the top-ranked teams in 4A,” Collett said, adding he didn’t feel he did a good enough job preparing the players this week.

“I didn’t get us prepared enough and we fell behind early in the game and that’s on me. I’m the head coach. … I didn’t get us ready to meet that challenge, but I was so proud of their effort in the second half. They did a great job fighting back, and there’s a couple of calls I’d like to have back,” Collett said.

With 7:36 to play, Prescott’s Chamberlain would score again, this time on a 79-yard touchdown run to pull the Badgers within a field goal, 38-35.

Prescott forced a punt with 4:48 left by Thunderbird, but was unable to take advantage, then the Titans got the ball back and went for it on fourth-and-two at midfield and didn’t convert, giving the Badgers once last chance with 1:48 left.

Unfortunately, Eli Allen fumbled the ball after a catch and Thunderbird recovered, sealing the victory for the Titans.

The Titans have title aspirations after losing to 4A champ Mica Mountain in the quarterfinals a season ago, but after losing 31 seniors to graduation, coach Matt Nalette said there may be some growing pains early in the season.

“I have to give a ton of credit to Prescott. The Badgers have a ton of fight in them. Coach Collet outcoached me in that second half,” Nalette said. “We’re still a young team and we’re growing. The first half and the start of the second half, you saw what we’re capable of being. And then you also saw how that second half ended, and that we still have a lot of work to do.”

Nalette praised Little’s effort on Friday night.

“He had a phenomenal night, but none of that surprises me because I see what he does every day in practice,” Nalette said. “He’s a young man that I’ve known since he was little. It’s been fun to watch him grow and develop, and we’re only just scratching the surface with a couple of games into his sophomore year.”

NEXT UP

Prescott (1-1, 0-0 4A Grand Canyon) is scheduled to host Northwest Christian in Week 3 on Friday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Thunderbird travels to Independence in Week 3 with a 7 p.m. kickoff time.

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.