PRESCOTT — For the past two seasons, one team has dominated the 4A Grand Canyon region but in 2025-26, that may finally change.

Thanks largely to Uriah Tenette and Zane Gaul, a dynamic duo who led Prescott to a perfect 23-0 mark in region play during their junior and senior seasons, including a 43-4 overall record in their four years playing together, the Badgers have owned the league.

Tenette, who averaged 29.2 points per game his senior season, guided Prescott to a 4A state semifinal a season ago before losing 70-64 on their home floor to eventual state champion St. Mary’s.

The 5-foot-11 crazy-athletic guard scored 2,752 points in his high school career, good enough or seventh all time. He’s now doing great things for the New Mexico Lobos.

As for Gaul, the 6-foot-10 center who averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game his senior year in Prescott, plays for Hawai’i Pacific, seeing court time in all six games for the Sharks.

So, who will come out on top within the 4A Grand Canyon region this season? A few coaches weighed in.

FAVORITE: COCONINO

Picked by several coaches to be in the mix, or the “early favorite” to win the Grand Canyon region, Coconino (3-2, 0-0 4A Grand Canyon), has solid wins against Tempe (58-46), Cactus (72-61) and Thunderbird (69-40) to open the season.

Coach Cooper Elliott believes his club can beat any region foe on any given night.

“We need to play balanced offensive basketball. We also need to be solid defensively and on the boards,” Elliott said.

Players to watch include Hashke Nelson, Fitz Guinan, Gavin Green and Oryon Hauyhually. All four are seniors and are expected to be in double-figures scoring this year.

Coconino last won a region title during the 2021-22 season, going 21-7 that season (10-2 4A Grand Canyon) before losing 67-47 to Paradise Honors in the first round of the state tournament.

THEY’LL BE THERE IN THE END: PRESCOTT

The Badgers (1-6, 0-0 4A Grand Canyon) have lost six of their first seven games to begin the season, but coach Travis Stedman doesn’t seem bothered by his team’s poor start. In fact, he believes it will only help his club come January when region play begins.

“We must continue to grow and learn with on-the-job training. Our non-region schedule and first half [of the season] is incredibly hard,” Stedman said.

Prescott has already played St. Mary’s, Deer Valley and Arcadia, all top teams in 4A, and Highland, a top-rated team in 6A.

“[This all came] before Christmas break. Our youthful exuberance and length will give teams fits and once we start to gel offensively, we are going to be dangerous,” Stedman said.

Players to watch include 6-foot-3 senior wing Jake Diener, who is the only returner for Prescott with any varsity experience, and 6-foot-6 sophomore guard Caden Lozen, who currently leads the team in scoring (11.3 points per game). Drew Jolley, a 6-foot-8 sophomore wing, is long and athletic, and can stretch the floor with his shooting, can pass, and protects the rim and rebounds.

“We obviously have lost a lot of historical production to graduation, and our roster is composed of some entirely new faces. However, our team’s coachability and athleticism coupled with our difficult schedule to start will make us formidable by the beginning of the new year,” Stedman said. “Those who get caught up in the early record will be surprised when that happens.”

Led by former player Nicholas Othon, center, Bradshaw Mountain is hoping to potentially challenge for a 4A Grand Canyon region title this season. (Bradshaw Mountain Athletics/Courtesy)DON’T SLEEP ON: BRADSHAW MOUNTAIN

The highly competitive Bears (1-3, 0-0 4A Grand Canyon) are on their third coach in three seasons, going 18-12 under Clint Cross a season ago in his first year before he resigned and Athletic Director Clairinda Weatherwax was forced to start the search over again.

She may have found a good one.

Nicholas Othon, who played for Bradshaw Mountain in 2014-17 under Doug Beilfuss, a very successful coach who was inducted into the Bears’ Ring of Honor in 2017 and is currently an assistant coach for the men’s basketball program at Embry-Riddle, is ready to take his former club to the next level.

“To compete for a region title, we need to be tough. To us, that means the ability to do the next right thing. In a game that is filled with momentum swings, mistakes and scoring runs, we need to be mentally and physically tough for all that comes with a 32-minute game,” Othon said.

The first-year coach aims to focus on the little things while teaching his team to communicate, limit turnovers and playing hard.

“Preparation is huge. I always say victory loves preparation. We won’t lose due to being unprepared, if we lose it will be because they are just flat out better at putting the ball in the hoop more,” Othon said.

Bradshaw Mountain last won the Grand Canyon region title in 2022-23, a season that saw the Bears make a magical run to the 4A state semifinals before losing to eventual champ Peoria, 67-53.

They also won the league in 2020-21.

Top players to watch include Cameron Ranniker, who is averaging 15 points per game so far this season, and Levi Baker, a “stud” 6-foot-1 sophomore with relentless defensive and perimeter shooting ability. Also, senior Kylin Jackson, who was one of the top running backs in the state of Arizona during this past football season.

Mingus coach Austin Hudson, center, is surrounded by his six seniors. The Marauders are a dark horse in this year’s chase for a 4A Grand Canyon region title. (Mingus Athletics/Courtesy)

DARK HORSE: MINGUS

It’s been a decade since the Marauders (6-2, 0-0 4A Grand Canyon) were in the conversation for region champion, last winning the title during the 2015-16 season by going 22-8 overall and finishing 11-2 in Section IV (Division III).

That year was the last season the AIA had divisions and sections before going back to the conference-region alignments across the board, except for some individual sports.

Mingus made the Elite 8 that year, defeating Holbrook before losing 50-49 to Winslow.

Under coach Austin Hudson, who was a standout player at nearby Camp Verde in his day, Mingus sports six seniors, including Ricky Villalobos, Stone Durkalec and Ethan Baird.

Villalobos led the team in scoring and assists the past two seasons.

“Those guys do it all and are great leaders in our program,” Hudson said, adding that competing for a region title is one of the club’s “main goals” this season.

“We have spent a few years toward the bottom of the league getting beat by teams like Prescott, Coconino, Bradshaw Mountain and Flagstaff. They are all great programs. … We have a lot of respect for everybody, but we think we have a chance to be the best team,” Hudson said.

REGION NOTES

Flagstaff has started the season 0-2 after finishing 14-13 overall a season ago and 6-6 in region play. The Eagles lost three of their top scorers to graduation, but Tyler Troxler leads the way now averaging 15 points per game. The Eagles last won a region title in 2016-17, going 12-0. They are also the last team to go undefeated in the Grand Canyon prior to Prescott’s run the past two seasons. … Lee Williams got a few votes for a team to watch in the Grand Canyon this season, however they’ve started 0-4 and their only close loss came against Agua Fria (56-40). They’ve certainly played more than solid competition with losses to Paradise Honors (62-23), Westview (87-25) and Saguaro (104-31). The Volunteers last won a region title in 2018-19, when Cain Atkinson was coach. He also led Bradshaw Mountain to their recent league titles. … Mohave has been described by a few coaches as “scrappy” but will likely finish near the bottom of the region this season. Their recent victory came against Lake Havasu, 73-36.

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.