Chris Eaton
The Notre Dame Prep Saints got the bounce-back game they were looking for on Friday night.
Notre Dame (7-2, #1 in 5A) got a strong start and then outlasted Arizona College Prep (6-3, #11 in 5A) for a 31-20 victory at Bemis Field in Scottsdale.
The 5A Conference has 49 teams in it and Saints Head Coach George Prelock has faced eight of the top 18 teams and three of the top eight (and will add one more next week to both of those lists). That strength of schedule is what has Notre Dame top ranked even coming off of a loss. Facing the best of the division means the Saints won’t be intimidated by any potential November opponent.
The Saints also erased some of the memories from a 17-7 loss (also at home) against Cactus Shadows the week before and Prelock liked the way they responded.
“This was a great response,” Prelock said. “Last week was a complete letdown. The fact that we were able to come back, I’m so proud of these boys and our coaching staff.”
5 players that stood out
Notre Dame RB Decker Haskins-Smith
The senior running back went over the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season. He was strong from the start as he picked up first downs on each of his first three carries (for 41 yards). Haskins-Smith was a workhorse back with a career-high 30 carries for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The cuts that he’s able to make continuously faked out defenders and allowed him to change direction. He was clocked at 4.5 in the 40 at the NAU camp last summer and shows those bursts of speed as well.
Notre Dame DB/RB Austin Bush
Bush mainly played defense and had a big interception late in the first half. Arizona College Prep was trailing 21-6 in the final seconds of the half and had the ball third-and-five at the NDP 8-yard line. A pass was tipped straight up in the air and landed in the arms of Bush. Earlier in the quarter, Bush spelled Haskins-Smith for a few plays and racked up 13 yards on his three carries and scored a touchdown (his fifth of the season). A junior, Bush is a multi-sport athlete who also plays lacrosse.
Notre Dame DE James Mariotti
A senior, Mariotti (6-3, 220) has played three years on varsity for the Saints. He was part of a tandem that ended the last ACP drive with a punctuation mark. Immediately after Brayden Lavinia had sacked the quarterback for three yards, Mariotti got in for a takedown – and an 11-yard loss – that forced a punt. Mariotti had a rough junior year as he played in only five games due to a concussion and a bout with mononucleosis. The fourth-quarter sack gives him 4.5 for the season.
Arizona College Prep QB Gunnar Schmidt
Schmidt threw for over 270 yards for the fourth time this season. It was also the senior’s sixth game with at least three TD passes. The 6-4, 215-pound signal caller has been getting some big passing plays all season and Friday night was no exception. He had a pair of 80-yard touchdown plays. One came on the Knights’ second play from scrimmage to open the scoring and the other was late in the third quarter as ACP attempted a comeback. The tally is now at 26 touchdown passes for Schmidt, who is in his first year as the starter. An excellent student at a high-caliber high school, he totes a 4.50 GPA.
Arizona College Prep WR Kingston Lambert
The senior had a big game receiving on a night where their rushing attack wasn’t able to carry them. Lambert caught five passes for 104 yards, including the 80-yard scoring reception in the first quarter. On a team with multiple weapons at the receiver position (Hayes Fowler and Dalton Speaks have combined for 19 TDs), Lambert showed there is another one to try and cover. Friday was his second straight game with over 100 yards.
5 (non-scoring) plays that made a difference
- On the first possession of the game, Notre Dame reached the ACP 14-yard line, but a strip sack from Enoch Adegoke ended the early threat and gave the Knights the football.
- Trailing 21-6 late in the first half, ACP moved the ball into the red zone. On third-and-five with just 16 seconds remaining in the second quarter, a pass was tipped up in the air and landed in the arms of Notre Dame defensive back Austin Bush to make that the halftime score.
- Leading 21-6 in the third quarter, Notre Dame opted to go for it on a fourth-and-two from ACP’s side of the field, but outside of field goal range. The Knights jumped offside to extend the drive. Notre Dame would end up scoring a touchdown on the possession.
- Trailing 31-20 early in the fourth quarter, James Mariotti made a sack on the quarterback on third down, which resulted in an 11-yard loss. This was immediately after Brayden Lavinia had made a sack on the previous play. Arizona College Prep was forced to punt with just under eight minutes left and never saw the ball again.
- On Notre Dame’s ensuing possession, the Saints went for it on fourth-and-two from the ACP 26-yard line and Decker Haskins-Smith gained five yards for a first down to keep the chains and the clock moving.
5 key stats
- The tone of the game was set in the first quarter for each offense. ACP had a 118-27 advantage in passing while NDP had a 101-23 lead in rushing.
- Decker Haskins-Smith had 196 rushing yards to put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
- Arizona College Prep led once in the game, and it was only for 11 seconds.
- Notre Dame won despite more than 100 yards of penalties, more than double what ACP had.
- The Saints maintained control of the ball for the last 7:45 of the game. They ran 10 plays with nine of them rushes before kneeling out the clock.
Video highlight
Courtesy of Emma Wakefield, a Cronkite graduate from Arizona State, who covers sports for Bamboo Sports Media, it seemed the interception thrown by ACP at the end of the half was a pivotal one. Had the Knights scored, they would’ve been within one touchdown and were receiving the second-half kick. Momentum from that could have played a factor coming out of the break. Instead, Notre Dame maintained its 21-6 lead.
RED ZONE INT🚨
@NDP_Football ‘28 DB Austin Bush havin’ a night on both sides of the ball with an interception in the final seconds of the first half.
@bamboo_sports https://t.co/9pAtzqUbwc
— Emma Wakefield (@emmawsports) October 24, 2026
Saints 31, Knights 20
ACP. . . . 6 0 6 8 – 20
NDP. . . 14 7 10 0 – 31
First Quarter
ACP: Kingston Lambert 80 yard pass from Gunnar Schmidt (kick blocked), 9:51, 0-6
NDP: Mason Pavone 95 yard kickoff return (Ryder Ashcraft kick), 9:40, 7-6
NDP: Decker Haskins-Smith 4 yard run (Ashcraft kick), 4:21, 14-6
Second Quarter
NDP: Austin Bush 5 yard run (Ashcraft kick), 6:47, 21-6
Third Quarter
NDP: Haskins-Smith 22 yard run (Ashcraft kick), 8:35, 28-6
NDP: Ashcraft 41 yard FG, 2:08, 31-6
ACP: Hayes Fowler 80 yard pass from Schmidt (pass failed), 1:56, 31-12
Fourth Quarter
ACP: J’Cory Horne 15 yard pass from Schmidt (Horne run), 11:05, 31-20
Team Statistics
First Downs – ACP: 15, NDP: 18. Rushes-Yards – ACP: 22-57, NDP: 38-216. Comp-Att-Int – ACP: 18-33-2, NDP: 13-22-0. Passing Yards – ACP: 275, NDP: 150. Total Yards – ACP: 332, NDP: 366. Fumbles Lost – ACP: 0, NDP: 2. Penalties-Yards – ACP: 7-46, NDP: 10-102.
Individual Leaders
Passing – ACP: Schmidt 18-33-2, 275 yards, NDP: Stine 13-22-0, 150 yards.
Rushing – ACP: Horne 12-57, NDP: Haskins-Smith 30-196.
Receiving – ACP: Lambert 5-104, Fowler 3-91, Horne 6-61, NDP: Ashcraft 6-69, Haskins-Smith 2-34.
5 people I talked to after the game
Notre Dame RB Decker Haskins-Smith on the team being determined to bounce back from last week’s loss: “We put a lot of work in this week. We found out we need to keep pushing because the job is never finished.”
Arizona College Prep Head Coach Jacob Rutter: “The story of this game is we can’t dig ourselves into a hole early and then climb back all the time. So we need to make sure we stay in the mix and these scores will change.”
Notre Dame DB/RB Austin Bush on the play of the defense this season: “We work a lot every day. We’re going hard against the offense and pushing ourselves daily. I feel that helps us a lot to keep grinding.”
Notre Dame lineman James Mariotti, who is one of 22 seniors on the Saints, on what playing for NDP has meant to him: “This sport has done so much for me. I’ve grown and learned so much from the sport. It’s my goal to give back to this team and give back to all the people that have believed in me and sacrificed for me.”
Notre Dame Head Coach George Prelock on the difficult schedule the Saints have played: “We’re battle tested. You look at our strength of schedule, and it’s going to get even tougher next week. It wears on you, but makes the boys focus week in and week out. We go into the playoffs knowing anything can happen.”
Next week
Arizona College Prep (6-3 overall, 3-1 5A San Tan Region) will finish its regular season next Friday in Gilbert against Campo Verde (6-3, 3-1). The Coyotes were shut out by ALA-Gilbert North, 41-0 on Friday. It was the first time the Coyotes had been blanked since 2024 (Desert Mountain). With the victory, ALAGN clinched the region. ACP lost to Campo Verde last season on its Senior Night and would like to spoil the Coyotes’ this time around. Rutter said many of the Knights players are friends with players on CVHS. He also said the plan for the week is to work on focus and intensity.
Notre Dame Prep (7-2 overall, 2-1 5A Northeast Valley Region) closes its regular season out on the road in Scottsdale next Friday against defending 5A champion Desert Mountain (8-1, 3-0). That game will determine the region title, which the Saints claimed in 2025. Desert Mountain officially has one loss, but it was actually a forfeit (against ACP) for playing an ineligible player back in Week 2. The Wolves have not lost a game on the field since last year’s game against Notre Dame (current streak of 14 games).
