Prescott moved to 5-0 a week ago with a rousing comeback to down Somerset. The Cardinals were clicking on both sides of the ball. Their athletes were making big plays at the opportune moments.

This success wasn’t unpredictable. Senior quarterback Teddy Bernick proved in past years he can lead a successful passing offense. Junior Kobe Russell is a lockdown cornerback and explosive wide receiver. Barrett Temmers is another big-time, two-way contributor. And there are numerous other names to add to that list.

Playoffs? You bet, the Cardinals will be there.

But just how “for real” was this team? The success over the first half of the season was great, but the meat of the schedule was still on the horizon. Could the Cardinals stack up against the true powers of the Middle Border Conference?

Friday’s win over perennial power St. Croix Central in Hammond, Wis. suggests not only can Prescott punch at the premier weight class, it may stand at the top of it.

The Cardinals — who locked up a postseason berth Friday by securing an above-.500 conference record — are 6-0 for the first time since 2000. Their lone loss that season came to Lancaster in the Division 4 state title game. There’s a long way to go in this campaign, but it’s in the realm of possibility that these Cardinals — currently the No. 4 in Division 4 in the state coaches rankings — could reach similar heights.

Prescott checked all the boxes of a title contender Friday.

Offensively, the Cardinals have the look of a juggernaut. Bernick hit Russell and Cole Platson for one chunk play after another. After the two teams traded possessions that ended in turnovers on downs to open the bout, Prescott got on the board with an 87-yard bomb from Bernick to Russell. That duo connected again for a 37-yard scoring strike fewer than three minutes later to make it 12-0 Cardinals.

St. Croix Central (4-2) simply couldn’t account for the numerous threats Prescott possesses in its passing game. And Bernick distributed the ball to near perfection. The senior threw for 207 yards and three scores in the first half alone to put the Cardinals up 26-6 at the break.

On Prescott’s first possession of the third quarter, the quarterback took a designed draw 49 yards to the house to extend the advantage to 32-6. Bernick gained north of 90 yards on the ground and tallied more than 300 yards of total offense. Russell had three grabs for 136 yards.

That was more than enough offensive output for a defense that handled the Panthers’ typically stout rushing attack with relative ease using discipline and physicality. Not until late in the game did St. Croix Central start ripping off big runs. Brecken Ponath, Aaron Hage and Hayden Buckel all found the end zone for the Panthers.

The contest was a total reversal from last year’s matchup, which St. Croix Central won 42-13. Many of these current Cardinals were on the field that night. But they’re now a year older and buoyed by not only their talent, but past experiences.

As the game wore on, Prescott switched attacks and put the contest away via a punishing ground game. This time around, the Cardinals were the ones leaning on the Panthers, imposing their will against a team that traditionally resides at or near the top of the Middle Border Conference standings. Prescott accumulated 460 yards of total offense in the win, 240 of which came on the ground.

The script has officially flipped.

What remains to be seen now is how this fantasy film of a season concludes for the Cardinals. Perhaps by out-dueling Baldwin-Woodville for a conference crown, or even making a mid-November march to Madison?

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