One more win, and the Grand Canyon Region title could come back to Prescott High School the first week of February.

Less than four minutes into the Badgers’ road tilt at Mingus Union High School, Prescott’s Edgar Martinez fed fellow junior Frank Castro for a goal that would prove to be enough to keep Prescott undefeated Friday, Jan. 29, as the Badgers shut out the Marauders, 1-0.

With a win Wednesday, Feb. 3, over defending regional champion Flagstaff High School, Prescott would not only open up a two-and-a-half game lead over the Eagles with just two region games to play, the Badgers would become the only 4-0 boys soccer team in the 4A Conference to go undefeated against a purely regional schedule of games. 

Flagstaff, under incumbent Grand Canyon Region Coach of the Year Mike Jenkins, has scored eight goals in its first two games--victories over Mohave and Lee Williams high schools. Prescott has allowed just one goal in its first three games.

So for Badgers head coach Philip Reid, securing his second regional title in a five-year tenure by the third week of an irregular 2021 schedule is a dream too premature to contemplate just yet.

“I don’t think we’re in the driver’s seat yet,” said Reid, whose first regional title in 2019 would prove to be a springboard to a run to the 4A Conference title game, where Prescott would fall a goal short of the state championship to Salpointe Catholic High School. “We have to go through Flagstaff. They have a couple of games in hand.” 

Just six players remain from that state runner-up team, including Martinez and senior midfielder Brayden Nelson, honorable mention all-region players that season. Although Nelson and Castro rose to first team all-4A honors last season, a third-place regional finish after a 4-1 start--including a shutout loss to Flagstaff--capped by another 1-0 loss in Prescott’s state tournament play-in game leaves Reid understandably circumspect about the Badgers’ hot start.

“Games like this are tougher because teams like Mingus always bring their A game,” Reid said Jan. 29. “We had a number of chances we should have put away.”

Plus, for the final hour of play at Mingus, Prescott dodged several bullets on goal fired by the Marauders, including junior Alex Salazar and sophomore Luis Esqueda. With 1:40 to play, a quick turnaround shot from 20 yards out by senior Sebastian Pedroza was a crossbar ping away from forcing the Badgers into their second overtime in their first three contests.

“We’re lucky it went high,” Reid said. “That’s a dangerous part of the game, the last two minutes. In the blink of an eye, they could put one in there.”

As the Badgers did in their season opener Jan. 20 against Mohave High School, which Nelson saved with a point-blank, extra-period boot off senior Aldo Munoz’s free kick for a 2-1 home victory Jan. 20.

But continuing to concentrate on being fancy, not technical, in their one-on-one showdowns with goalkeepers like Mingus senior Edgar Velazco will not give the Badgers the offensive punch they need to take the pressure off defenders Max Day and Pedro Valadez, not to mention fellow senior and goalkeeper Azra Twombly-Ellis.

“We need to clean those things up,” Reid said. “It’s being composed, being disciplined in our attack, as well as being first to the ball on defense.”