EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was changed to reflect that Ricardo Juarez was the quarterback for Buckeye on Saturday.

PRESCOTT VALLEY — Viliami Tongotea ran for more than 150 yards and scored three touchdowns, Ricardo Juarez threw for two scores and a big first quarter by Buckeye put them over the top in a 34-22 win against Bradshaw Mountain on Saturday night.

“It was an awesome win for our club. We know Bradshaw Mountain is a tough team,” Buckeye head coach David Ellis said. “This whole week the kids practiced knowing the type of athletes Bradshaw Mountain has. They have a lot of kids going two ways, they played the whole game. So I give them a lot of credit. They are a bunch of tough kids over there.”

It is the third straight win to begin the season for the Hawks (3-0, 0-0 4A West Valley), which scored 21 points in the first quarter against the Bears to set the tone.

Buckeye has now outscored their opponents 125-43 this fall.

Despite the lopsided season score and two blowout victories by the Hawks to begin the 2022 campaign (42-7 over Youngker; 49-14 over Deer Valley), Saturday’s contest was far from a laugher.

Buckeye running back Viliami Tongotea nearly gets dragged down by a Bears defender Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Prescott Valley. The Hawks won 34-22. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365)

SCORING

Tongotea opened the game’s scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run at the 10:05 mark in the first quarter after the Bears failed to stop them on fourth down on the previous play.

Bradshaw Mountain (1-1, 0-0 4A Grand Canyon) would quickly answer back as tailback Gabriel Ricketts scored on a 7-yard run to tie it, 7-7, with 5:54 left in the first quarter.

But on the ensuing possession, Juarez found Darius Haskin on a 79-yard touchdown throw, then Tongotea made it 21-7 with 2:05 left in the first quarter on a 12-yard run.

Bradshaw Mountain head coach Bob Young, who currently sits on 294 wins in his career, said despite being down 21-7 at the half, his kids didn’t quit.

“It would have been easy to at halftime, because in the first half, we didn’t play well at all. We came out in the second half and made it a better game,” Young said.

Bradshaw Mountain running back Gabriel Ricketts scores on a 7-yard touchdown run in the first quarter Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, against Buckeye in Prescott Valley. The Hawks won 34-22. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365)

The Bears failed to stop Buckeye on two different fourth down plays, and lost two fumbles while driving down the field looking for a score.

The miscues didn’t end there for Bradshaw Mountain.

In the third quarter and the Hawks pinned deep in their own territory, Juarez found Haskin on a slant play across the middle of the field on a third down and 28 play.

Haskin made two Bears’ defenders miss and sprinted down the sideline for what turned out to be a 96-yard touchdown strike, making it 28-7.

Bradshaw Mountain would continue to fight, however.

Quarterback Grady Rose scored on a 1-yard sneak play to cut the Hawks lead, 28-14, with 1:02 left in the third quarter. Then found Tanner Mitchell on a 40-yard touchdown pass after the Bears defense forced a punt.

A successful two-point conversion put the Bears within one score of Buckeye, 28-22 with 8:00 to play in the game. But Tongotea capped his solid night with his third touchdown run to put the Hawks up for good with 4:12 left in the fourth quarter, 34-22.

Tongotea said after the game that he felt his team became a “little complacent” in the second half.

“We have to keep going out there, pushing the ball, finishing the job,” Tongotea said.

The Hawaii native, who moved to Arizona before last season and ran for 1,525 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior, said his start to the 2022 campaign is a dream come true.

“I actually was not expecting to do this good, I’m actually proud of myself,” Tongotea said with a big smile. “The coaches in the offseason emphasized everything I needed to work on, and I put it in the work, and we got it done today.”

Tongotea said his move from Hawaii has worked out well for his football career.

“It’s been a great transition for me. Actually, back at my old school, we didn’t run too much. I couldn’t get the exposure that I’m getting here,” Tongotea said laughing, taking a shot at the University of Hawaii’s football team, which has a history of passing the ball more than most NCAA Division I teams.

BEARS ROSTER DEPTH

Young mentioned that it will be important moving forward for the Bears to “develop depth.”

“I’ve got too many guys that don’t come off the field, that’s an issue. We’re still working, and it’s early in the season. We have to continue to work and get better,” Young said.

And when asked if he is aware, or cares, about the fact that he’s closing in on 300 wins in his career. Young just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

“I could care less. It just means I’m getting old,” Young said with a smile.

UP NEXT

Buckeye is scheduled to host their third home game in the first four weeks of the season Friday, Sept. 23, as they welcome the Lake Havasu Knights (2-1, 0-0 4A Skyline).

The Knights lost 28-14 on Friday night to Yuma Catholic.

Kickoff next week is set for 7 p.m.

Bradshaw Mountain heads into Week 4 action with a road trip to Combs on Friday, Sept. 23. The Coyotes (1-2, 0-0 4A Desert Sky) beat Coolidge 54-6 in Week 2, but lost 51-36 to Apache Junction on Friday night.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

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.