PRESCOTT — It feels like every year, the Prescott-Ellsworth rivalry gets even grittier. The 2026 installment was no different, with a true iron on iron battle for a few yards at a time. A wild touchdown to close out the first half and a 10-minute drive in the second half made the difference for the Cardinals on Friday, winning 14-6 to beat Ellsworth for a third consecutive year.

“That’s the team we’ve been talking about and trying to be all year,” Prescott Coach Jordan Hansen said. “We’re going to be a grind it out team… That’s the team we are. Flying around on D. We can still continue to get better, but that’s a big confidence boost win for us and it’s a team win. We were consistent in all phases.”

Hanson said the offense controlled the ball, the defense flew around to tackle the Panthers short of the first down sticks and the special teams did not give up game-changing plays.

The first quarter came and went with no scoring either way. That said, the Panthers made the first threatening drive of the game that found them in the red zone to start the second quarter. The Cardinals held off Ellsworth to fourth and 17 from the 22 early in the second quarter, but Cooper Olson hit Gavin Wittenberg on a fade route, placing a perfect ball into his hands after a great route. Prescott stopped the two-point conversion in the backfield, 6-0.

Prescott got its revenge late in the half after getting the ball at its own 26-yard-line with 6:27 remaining.

“We want four yards a crack. We’ll celebrate four yards a crack, and that’s what our team’s about. We’re going to grind it,” Hansen said. “That’s what we told our kids.”
Slowly but surely, Prescott picked up short run after short run to get to the Ellsworth 30-yard-line on fourth and 12 with 27 seconds to play in the half. A Cardinal timeout worked like magic, as quarterback Reese Stanton threw a pass to a wheeling Hili Thomason. The Panther defender attempted to jump the pass, but it allowed Thomason to dust the secondary for a 7-6 halftime lead.

“We knew we had to stay disciplined. We knew we had to execute this because we’re in the redzone, we need to get it done. I snuck one right in there to Hili, and it was an unbelievable catch on some decent defense,” Stanton said.

Prescott fumbled away its opening play of the third quarter, and Olson found Wittenberg deep down the left sideline to get the Panthers near the Prescott 25 with momentum in their favor. Prescott locked in from there, and on fourth and long, freshman Revel Panzer screamed through the middle of the offensive line and picked up a sack. Prescott rode that momentum down the field, capping off the drive with a goal line jump pass from Stanton to senior Brody Ripley for a touchdown and a 14-6 lead.

Ellsworth punted to Prescott with nine and a half minutes remaining, which allowed Prescott to show what it is capable of. The Cardinals had one of the more methodical drives you will see, wasting the entire clock one run at a time. The offensive line stood up to the task, and the runners took the yardage that the line created.
Stanton took 16 carries for 84 yards in the win and senior Charlie Rohl had 26 carries for 87 yards. Stanton only threw a pair of passes, but they could not have gone much better, totaling 41 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

“Everyone played their heart out. Every single player did their job, and that’s how we get the win right there,” Stanton said.

Both teams entered the game 0-3 after facing some of the best teams they will play all year. Getting the win, the Cardinals feel they are back on track.

“It’s huge. After our first three games facing unbelievably good teams and now getting into the Middle Border and beating our biggest rival, it feels great,” Stanton said.

“I really do like our team. I think we’ve got some good young pieces, and I think we’ve got a really good veteran group. They’ve shown glimpses in the first three weeks that we can do some good things,” Hansen said. “A win like this can really propel you forward.”