KINGMAN — Alec Grant ran for two touchdowns, Kaleb Heyer had 14 carries for 121 yards and No. 10-ranked Arizona College Prep pulled the upset card with a 21-14 state playoff win over Lee Williams on a chilly Thursday night.

It is the first state playoff victory in program history for the Knights (8-3, 4-1 4A Desert Sky), which made an appearance 2019 as a 3A conference school, and in 2022 as a No. 16 seed.

Tyler Lowder began the game’s scoring with a 3-yard run to make it 7-0 with 4:32 to play in the first quarter, then Grant sprinted across the goal line with two 5-yard runs in the second quarter to make it 21-0 Knights with 1:51 to play before halftime.

“We ran the ball hard today and ran it effectively. We need to keep running it, we need to carry our team on our back with the run game. If we don’t have a strong run game, we can’t move the ball down the field,” Grant said. “Our boys did a good job.”

Knights coach Myron Blueford said Grant has so much “freaking potential.”

“He’s had moments throughout the year when we knew he was going to be the guy. He showed it tonight,” Blueford said. “I’ll be honest, I think we have one of the best offensive lines in 4A. They have the size, they are mean, and they can move. They showed their dominance.”

Blueford added that his team has been “battle tested” all season, and Thursday night after a 230-mile, four-hour bus ride from the team’s home field in Chandler, was no different.

“I knew we had a great week of practice, and I loved our game plan. So, I knew we were going to come out pretty strong, and we did,” Blueford said.

The No. 7-ranked Volunteers (9-2, 5-0 4A Grand Canyon) weren’t going away that easy, however.

Senior quarterback Noah Petrauschke led a 2-minute offense down the field quickly and connected with wideout Devin White on a 20-yard touchdown toss just 31 seconds before halftime to make it 21-7.

To open the second half, Petrauschke again found White open for a 10-yard score with 3:28 to play in the third, making it 21-14.

Both teams exchanged multiple possessions after that, including a few turnovers, but neither club could punch it across the goal line and with 1 second left, Petrauschke’s heave toward the endzone would fall well short as a 21-0 deficit was too much for the Grand Canyon region champs to overcome.

“We stamped a mark in our school’s history that will forever be there. We grinded through so much [this season], we banded together as a family this season,” Petrauschke said minutes after a teammate embraced him after the loss. “This team deserves so much; we got our region banner. We tried tonight but didn’t make it.”

BACKUP QUARTERBACK

A strategy Arizona College Prep used in Thursday night’s victory was to use backup quarterback Even Heinrich, who is “more mobile” than their regular starter Jaxon Castro, according to Blueford.

“We knew once we started going to the ground game, we were going to need a quarterback that can move a little bit and get a couple of hard first downs running the ball,” Blueford said. “Jackson is a great teammate, and he loves winning, and he knew this would be our best chance to do it. So, he took a back seat today, but he’s still our guy.”

Castro has thrown for 1,713 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, compared to sophomore Evan Heinrich, who threw just five passes all year in one appearance prior to starting the state playoff game against Lee Williams.

Heinrich completed 5 of 13 passes for 83 yards and threw an interception, but he carried the ball seven times for 69 yards.

SEASON WRAP

Lee Williams coach Stevann Brown had nothing but good things to say about his club, even after a tough loss.

“This is one of the more resilient groups I’ve ever been with, whether it was my playing days, or my coaching days. … They battled their butts off all season long, and put in the work,” Brown said. “They always gave themselves the opportunity, that’s what battling is. No matter where you’re at, or if the chips are down, you give yourself a chance to win.”

Northern Arizona schools were just 1-7 during playoff matchups Thursday night.

Bradshaw Mountain, Coconino, Snowflake, Round Valley, Blue Ridge, Camp Verde and the Volunteers all lost. Only No. 1-ranked 3A club Mohave earned a victory.

UP NEXT

Arizona College Prep will turn its attention to No. 2-ranked Canyon Del Oro (11-0, 5-0 4A Kino), which beat No. 15 Poston Butte 45-20.

Kickoff in Oro Valley is set for Friday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m.

For results in the 4A state playoffs, click here.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.