Brophy squanders big lead in semifinals of McClintock Holiday Shootout

Corona Del Sol 53

Brophy 47

By Justin Janssen '11

The Corona Del Sol Aztecs are no stranger to success in the McClintock Holiday Shootout.

In 2008, the Aztecs defeated Brophy in this tournament's championship game, and last year Corona Del Sol advanced to the semifinals.

Early in the game, Brophy looked poised to knock off Corona Del Sol; they built an 11 point lead at the half.

Photo by me, the team huddles up searching for answers.

James Harper '12 returned from an ankle injury suffered Dec. 7 against Salpointe Catholic.

Harper led Brophy with 10 points highlighted by two slam dunks.

In the second quarter Michael Hauser '13 provided a spark off the bench.

Hauser scored all eight of his points in the period, which matched Corona Del Sol's point total for the quarter.

Brophy led by as many as 14 points in the quarter, but the Broncos saw their lead vanish in the second half.

The Aztecs adjusted in the third quarter by using a full-court press, forcing a slew of Brophy turnovers.

Corona Del Sol started the third quarter on a 15-5 run cutting Brophy's lead to 35-34 late in the quarter.

Corona took their first lead with 4:20 remaining in the game (42-41); they would not relinquish their lead.

The Aztecs outscored Brophy 19-8 in the decisive fourth quarter and 34-17 in the second half.

Brophy didn't have an answer for Corona's big men, Andrus Peat and Avery Moss.

Peat is also a highly-touted football recruit playing on the offensive line. He crashed the offensive rebounds, collecting four in the first half.

"No. 50 (Moss) had the game of his life", said Chris Pierre '11.

Pierre, who celebrated his 18^th birthday Dec. 29, and Sai Tummala '11 each scored nine points for Brophy.

Fred Gammage '12 scored just seven points, but also dished out four assists and had four steals.

Rodrigo Furtado '11 amassed 10 rebounds before fouling out with 18 seconds remaining in the game.

Following the loss to Corona, Brophy looks to salvage a third place finish Thursday Dec. 30 against Chander Basha.

After the tournament concludes and winter break is over, the Broncos will play defending 5A-I champions North High on Jan. 4.

Brophy Basketball to play in McClintock Holiday Shootout

I didn't think the Brophy Basketball team would be playing again until Jan. 4 against North, but they will play in the McClintock Holiday Shootout. McClintock is located in Tempe, Arizona.

On Monday at 10:00 AM Brophy will be playing Trevor Browne in the first round of this tournament.

The other participating teams are: Marcos De Niza, Willow Canyon, Desert Mountain, Saguaro, Corona Del Sol, Coronado, Apollo, Hamilton, Basha, Pinacle, Higley, McClintock, Mountain Ridge and Desert Ridge.

The tournament lasts until Thursday, December 30th.

If the Broncos defeat Trevor Browne, then they will play the Marcos De Niza - Willow Canyon winner Tuesday at 5:30 PM.

Wednesday has semifinals at 7 PM and 8:30 PM, and the championship game on Thursday is at 7 PM.

Sources: Anthony Ray/arizonapreps.com and Richard Obert of The Arizona Republic

A Christmas Present for Brophy fans: Highlight Reels from 2010 season

I was looking at the all-state team for 5A-I in Arizona and I was dissapointed to not see Devon Allen on there. Instead was WR Tanner Clay and WR Anas Hasic from North Canyon. I had never heard of Hasic before, so instinctively, I went straight to youtube to find his highlights. While watching his tape, I wondered if any Broncos had some film on youtube. I found three Broncos, two sophomores, with tape.

Junior CB Matt Cahal



Sophomore WR/KR Devon Allen




Sophomore QB Tyler Bruggman

The 10 best plays from the 2010 NFL season

It's been a long time since Brophy's basketball team played a game - 10 days, and they won't play another one until January 4th (at North). Because of the long break, I've thrown a curveball by not talking about high school sports and instead showing the 10 best plays from the 2010 NFL season.

10. Browns punter runs 67 yards straight up the middle on a fake punt.

9. Patriots Offensive Guard almost gets a touchdown on a kickoff.

8. Jaguars kicker nails 59 yard field goal as time expires to spark Jacksonville's magical start.

7. Troy Polomalu leaps over the Titans offensive line to make the stop.


6. Tony Maleki making Chiefs fans forget about that other tight end named Tony with this amazing one-handed touchdown catch.

5. Lance Moore hauls in a touchdown and keeps both feet in bounds.

4. Kroy Bierman tips pass to himself, makes a diving interception and returns the pass all the way for a touchdown.

3. Donald Driver makes half of the 49ers defense look silly.

2. David Garrard's hail mary touchdown pass as time expires; it's another miracle for Jacksonville.

1. Desean Jackson returns a punt for a touchdown as time expires, completing the 21 point comeback by the Eagles.

Brophy's depth leads to upset victory over No. 2 Salpointe

Brophy 55

Salpointe Catholic 37

By Justin Janssen '11

THE ROUNDUP

The No. 2 Salpointe Catholic Lancers entered Brophy's gym on Tuesday Dec. 7 undefeated after starting the season 7-0 highlighted by a victory over defending 5A-I champ North.

However, on Dec. 7Brophy turned the tables on Salpointe 55-37, even with two of their leaders missing significant portions of the game.

James Harper '12 was injured only a couple plays into the game and had to be helped to the locker room.

Sai Tummala '11 battled foul trouble during most of the game.

Tummala picked up his third foul midway through the second quarter, and picked up his fourth early in the third quarter.

In high school a player fouls out when they commit five fouls.

While Tummala was on the bench with foul trouble, Rodrigo Furtado '11 picked up some of the slack.

Furtado led Brophy with 13 points and has become a fan-favorite.

The game was never really close; Salpointe did not lead in the contest.

At the end of the first quarter Brophy led 13 to eight and by halftime Brophy's lead ballooned to 10.

Every player on Brophy's Varsity Basketball team got to play.

In the second half, the Broncos played keep away from the Lancers which shortened the game.

Point guard Fred Gammage '12, who recently concluded his football season as a quarterback and wide receiver, scored 11 points, while Tummala scored nine.

Emilio Acedo led the Lancers with 10 points.

Brophy can't celebrate this win for too long; they play at Mesquite on Thursday, Dec. 8 and at Perry on Friday Dec. 9.

Three Game Gauntlet Looming

Tuesday: vs Salpointe Catholic

• The Salpointe Catholic Lancers enter this week as the No. 2 team in the eyes of Richard Obert based off their 7-0 start.
  
• Salpointe's Last 5 years: 19-11, 13-16, 25-7, 10-17, 14-16.
  
• Players to watch:
  
• G/F Emilio Acedo Sr. 6'4- he is the teams leading scorer (20 points/game), also has 3 pt range.
• G Colby Weaver Sr. 6'4- also has 3pt range, good at getting steals.
  

Thursday: at Mesquite (Gilbert)

• The Mesquite Wildcats lost their best players from last year due to graduation and are off to a 0-2 start.
  
• Mesquite's last 5 years: 25-5, 15-11, 9-17, 15-13, 21-6.
• Players to watch:
  
• Sami Bazi Jr. He's going to take a ton of shots, but he won't make many of them (32%), most of his shots are from 3pt range.
  
• Jason Garretson Sr. He's averagin 19.5 points/game and 6 assists/game.
  

Friday: at Perry (Gilbert)

• The Perry Pumas have lost four games in a row.
• Last 2 years (can't go back any further): 16-14, 18-11.
  
• Players to watch:
  
• C Lucas O'Brien Jr. 6'4 225. He has the potential to be a dominant big man in 5A-II. O'Brien averages 16 points/game and 8 rebounds/game
• G Desmond Howard (no, not the Heisman award winner) 5'10 170. He's a decent guard, just needs to work on his range. Averages 9 points/game, 3.5 assists/game.

AIA releases initial section placement for schools

All the credit goes out to Jose E. Garcia of the Arizona Republic for originally posting and reporting this.

Division I, Section I

Alhambra, Carl Hayden, Central, Cibola, Kofa, Maryvale, North, St. Mary's, San Luis, Tolleson, Trevor Browne, Valley Vista, Westview.

Section II

Basha, Buena, Chandler, Corona del Sol, Desert Ridge, Dobson, Gilbert, Hamilton, Highland, Mesquite, Skyline, Sunnyside, Tucson

Section III

Boulder Creek, Brophy, Desert Mountain, Desert Vista, Mesa, Mountain Pointe, Mountain Ridge, Mesa Mountain View, North Canyon, Pinnacle, Red Mountain, Sandra Day O'Connor.

Football Qualification for Playoffs

• 16 teams will make the state tournament in their respective division

• Three teams from each of the three sectionals within their respective division will automatically qualify for the state tournament based on AIA power rankings
• The nine automatic qualifiers, plus seven at-large qualifiers, will make up the 16 team state tournament for their respective division and be seeded based on AIA power rankings

Basketball Qualifications for Playoffs

• Twenty-four (24) teams will make the state team tournaments for their respective division
• Each championship division will have three sectionals based on geographic alignment
• Each sectional tournament will have an eight team tournament
  • The sectional tournament will be seeded based on their AIA power ranking
  • Each sectional tournament will be played at centralized site, as determined by the AIA
  • The top four from each sectional tournament will earn an automatic spot in their respective 24 team state tournament
• The four automatic qualifiers, plus 12 at-large qualifiers, will make up the 24 team state tournament for their respective division and be seeded based on AIA power rankings
  • Teams seeded No. 1 through No. 8 will get a first round bye
• Centralized venues, as determined by the AIA, for all five rounds of the state tournaments
  • The AIA will work to schedule a minimum of two games at one site per tournament round, thus reducing the number of venues needed for all rounds of the tournament
  • Teams will be placed at the sites by the AIA

Brophy’s defense smothers Highland in home opener

Brophy 49
Highland 35

By Justin Janssen ’11
THE ROUNDUP

On Brophy’s varsity basketball home opener the defense shut down the Highland Hawks limiting them to just 35 points.

The Hawks struggled early on; they didn’t get their first points until 2:44 remained in the opening period and they would only score five points in the quarter.

Brophy’s Brazilian transfer, Rodrigo Furtado ’11, provided a spark off the bench. Furtado hustled on loose balls and delivered critical passes energizing the pinked out crowd.

The game was a “pink out” that coincided with an organ donation drive at the school.

The Broncos led by two after the first quarter, but Highland took their only lead in the game late in the second quarter 14-13.

After back to back made shots by Chris Pierre ’11 and Sai Tummala ’11, the Hawks were put away for good.

Highland wouldn’t score for the rest of the half and Brophy added two more points to take the lead 19-14 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Hawks had their best offensive quarter, but were still outscored 15-13, giving Brophy a 34-27 lead.

Highland would only score eight points in the final quarter and would lose 49-35.

The 49 points are a season low for the Broncos, but the 35 points allowed was the fewest allowed by Brophy this season.

Brophy center Tummala led all scorers with 18 points and also brought down 10 rebounds.

Tummala put an exclamation point on the game when he stole an errant pass and slammed a dunk giving Brophy a 46-32 with a minute to go.

Pierre chipped in with 11 points and James Harper ‘12 added 15 points and six rebounds.

Brandon Duernas led Highland with 10 points, and Conner Toolson added nine points.

With a win Brophy improves to 4-1 on the young season; they are 2-0 in games counted for powerpoints.

The next challenge for the Broncos is their friendly rivals from Tucson, Salpointe Catholic, on Tuesday Dec. 7 at home.

Opening Cheat Sheet

• The Brophy Broncos will face the Highland Hawks in Brophy's home opener tonight, dress code is a pink-out in honor of donating organs.
• According to a source close to the situation Fred Gammage '12 will get the start over Peter Scobas '12 at point guard. The rest of the starting line-up should be SG Chris Pierre '11, F Jordan Medl' 12, F/G James Harper '12, and C Sai Tumala '11.
• The same source also told me Scobas will come off the bench and SG Wilson Horn '11 would come off the bench with him.
  
• Last 5 years for Highland: 2009 1-25, 2008 29-4, 2007 24-6, 2006 11-18, 2005 5-21.
  
• Varsity starts at 7 PM, JV at 5:30, and Freshman play at 4.
• I will be covering the game for The Roundup
  

2010-2011 Brophy Broncos Basketball Season Preview

Last season the team finished 18-11, with victories over top ranked Mesa and arch-rival St. Mary's in back to back days.

"We got caught up in the intoxication of so-called success after beating Mesa and St. Mary's. We started thinking that we could just walk out and beat people and we were not that kind of team, we're not there yet," Mr. Fuller said.

Mr. Fuller emphasizes team play rather than individuals, that's why stats are not listed on maxpreps.com. "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts," Mr. Fuller said.

Mr. Fuller was a head coach at Pepperdine and San Diego State and more recently was an assistant at Stanford.

Brophy was ranked No. 5 (5A-I) in Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic's preseason poll. The Broncos dropped out of the top five after going 1-1 in the Arrowhead Desert Classic tournament against 4A-II teams. These results will not be counted in power points.

The biggest cause for concern is the point guard position. Ryan Milne '10 was a great distributor and offenses start with the point guard position.

Projected Starting Line-up Bold = returning starters

C Sai Tummala 6'7 190 Sr.

F James Harper 6'3 175 Jr.

F Jordan Medl 6'4 190 Jr.

SG Chris Pierre 5'11 160 Sr.

PG Peter Scobas 5'9 130 Jr.

Players graduated: F/C Jon Vimmerstedt '10, PG Milne , F Michael Brennan '10, and F/C Jon Lavanway '10 .

Gridiron Highlights, Hiccups, and High Hopes

Summary of the 2010 Brophy Broncos Varsity Football Season

By: Justin Janssen '11

A 6-6 season is certainly not as impressive as recent Brophy teams, although just like 2009, the Broncos were eliminated in quarterfinal round. Brophy won nine or more games in each of the past six seasons.

Hiccups:

This year's team dealt with more adversity than in years past, they have had more players than usual quit the team and the team has been plagued with injuries to their best players.

Two defensive captains, safety Joe Maggi '11 and linebacker Ethan Cooper '11 were lost due to season ending injuries. Maggi led the 2009 Broncos with four interceptions, but he tore his ACL before the season started. Cooper hurt his shoulder against Chandler midway through the season.

Quarterback Chase Knox transferred to Madison High School (CA) just two days before the season started allegedly because he did not want to split time with Tyler Bruggman '13.

Garrett Wilson '11 switched from quarterback to safety in order to get more playing time. However he hurt his ankle midway through the season against Red Mountain and would not return to play again.

Bruggman injured his ankle in what was described as a "freak accident" and his injury could lead into spring practice.

The St. Mary's Knights broke their seven game losing streak against the Brophy Broncos with a 16-13 win. On fourth and goal from the Knights 10, Brophy originally had their kicking team on the field, but after a Knights timeout, the Broncos elected to go for it. Bruggman threw incomplete to Jordan Graves '11, ending the game.

Brophy's kickers - Zac Bryan '12 and Casey Skowron '11 combined on the season to make 6 field goals in 16 tries and made 19 extra points in 29 tries. Skowron first joined the team less than a month before the season concluded; Skowron primarily plays soccer.

Fans had been spoiled by the play of kicker/punter/safety Alex Garoutte '10, who was 14/17 on field goals and 34/37 on extra points. Garoutte is now playing at Arizona State.

Highlights:

Fred Gammage '12 switched from wide receiver to quarterback before the Mesa game because Brophy did not have a healthy quarterback on their roster. Gammage played well considering the circumstances; he completed over 64 percent of his passes.

Three defensive players stood out this year: cornerback Matt Cahal '12, defensive end Charley Beck '11, and linebacker Robert Relf '13.

Cahal led the team with five interceptions, recorded 76 tackles (third most on team), and blocked two field goals. Although Beck is undersized for his position, at 185 pounds, but he has 14 sacks on the season (second in 5A-I), and is second on the team with 93 tackles. Relf leads the team with 113 tackles and also has three sacks.

Running back/wide receiver Josh Dennard '11 played well piling up 1100 rushing and receiving yards. Dennard led the team in scoring with 13 touchdowns.

High Hopes:

There is certainly promise for the future. Speedy wide receiver Devon Allen '13 recorded 60 catches (leads 5A-I) for 915 yards (third in 5A-I) and six touchdowns.

Josh's brother Marche Dennard '13 should be able to fill Josh's shoes; Dennard ran for over 300 yards and averaged over six yards a carry. Over 200 of those yards came in the last four games of the season and scored three touchdowns during that stretch.

Wide receiver/punter Matt Auran '13 came on strong late in the season. He did not get regular playing time at wide receiver until midway through the season, but caught 19 passes for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns. Auran also averaged 33 yards a punt.

The season concluded with a 13-12 loss to No. 5 Mountain Pointe in the quarterfinals. Brophy earned the 13^th seed in the playoffs and knocked off No. 4 Mountain Ridge 24-17 in the first round. The Broncos went on three different two game winning streaks: Deer Valley and Gilbert, Red Mountain and Mesa, and Yuma and Mountain Ridge.

In 2011, the Broncos could go on a tear because their young talent has experience in the varsity level. Brophy relied on a slew of sophomores in 2010; Allen, Dennard, Auran, Relf, Bruggman, Andrew Curtis '13, Charlie Renfree '13, and Dominic Riccitelli '13.

Photo Credits to Andrew Ahearne '11 and Rob March '11

Brophy eliminated from playoffs

On Friday November 19th, the Brophy Broncos concluded their season with a 13-12 loss to the Mountain Pointe Pride in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.

Mountain Pointe fumbled the opening kickoff and Brophy took over with great field position. A 23 yard completion to Matt Auran '13 from Fred Gammage '12 set the Broncos up with first and goal. A couple plays later Josh Dennard '11 would finish the drive with a touchdown run.

The extra point attempt was 5 yards further due to a false start penalty and Casey Skowron '11 hooked it a few inches to the right.

Later in the quarter, Arizona State commit Izzy Marshall intercepted a Gammage pass and returned it all the way for a touchdown, giving Mountain Pointe a 7-6 lead.

Brophy would have terrible field position for most of the game due to effective punting by Kevin Kadisak of Mountain Pointe. Brophy started drives at their own 1, 1, 2, and 8 yard lines.

Kadisak added a 25 yard field goal with 39.2 seconds before the half to give the Pride a 10-6 lead.

On the Broncos first drive of the second half, Devon Allen '13 lost a fumble giving the Pride excellent field position once again.

Kadisak added his second field goal of the game , from 44 yards, with 9:15 remaining in the third period giving Mountain Ridge a 13-6 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Brophy had its most productive drive of the game. Starting at their own 20, they drove the length of the field.
On 3rd and goal from the 13 yard line, Gammage took off and charged into the end zone closing the gap at 13-12 with 5:06 renaming in the game.

The extra point was blocked due to a bad snap.

Luckily for Brophy, their defense stuffed Mountain Pointe again. On third down Danny Riggs '11 recovered an unforced fumble at the Mountain Pointe 35 yard line with 2:18 remaining.

A couple minutes later on 4th down and four, Skowron attempted a potential game winning field goal from 46 yards, but he hooked it a couple inches to the right.

A few weeks ago Skowron wasn't even playing football; his primary sport is soccer.

“We were two, three inches from moving on. Our team melded together and I congratulate Mountain Pointe," said Brophy coach Scooter Molander.

Fred Gammage, who was a wide reciever a couple months ago, finished 14 of 21 for 123 yards with 2 interceptions and a 13 yard rushing touchdown.

Brophy outgained Mountain Ridge 202 yards to 146 yards, but had three turnovers to the Pride's two.

The Broncos defense held the Pride to just 73 yards rushing - on 26 carries, which is well below their season average of 184 yards rushing a game.

Photos By Ben Jackson '11

Mountain Pointe Cheat Sheet

• Both the Brophy Broncos and the Mountain Pointe Pride earned close first round playoff victories.
  
• Mountain Pointe trailed 14-0 entering the fourth quarter against No. 12 Red Mountain, but scored 21 points in the final frame to mount the comeback.
  
• Late in the fourth quarter Brophy led Mountain Ridge by a touchdown. Twice the Bronco defense forced an interception to seal the game.
  
• Mountain Pointe went 12-1 last season; their only loss was to Mesa in the semifinals 14-10.
  

Key Players to watch:

• #11 WR Garrett Holley- 37 catches 741 yards 9 touchdowns
• #8 LB/RB Izzy Marshall- committed to Arizona State, leads team with 34 tackles, also has 2 sacks and an interception for a touchdown.
• #85 FS/WR Jalen Brown- tied for the lead in 5A-I with 6 interceptions, he is a freshman.

The Pride's uniforms look eerily similar to ASU's
Photo by: Deirdre Hamill /The Arizona Republic

5A Quarterfinals Predictions

I didn't do so hot last week predicting games going 4-4, with 3 double digit seeds winning (No. 10 Desert Ridge, No. 13 Brophy, No. 15 Gilbert). I have included predictions with 5A-II this week to keep the games predicited at 8.

5A-I

8 9-2 Mesquite 13
1 12-0Hamilton 38

Hamilton is on a 38 game winning streak and has dominated everyone they have played They don't look to be slowing down anytime soon. Mesquite had a nice blowout win over North Canyon and has only lost twice all year, to Chaparral and Basha.

13 6-5 Brophy 23
5 9-2 Mountain Pointe 21

Brophy's offense might finally be getting into a grove; the quarterback position has been hurt by injuries and Chase Knox transferring. Mountain Pointe is 9-2 and has impressive victories over Desert Vista and Marcos de Niza. The Pride narrowly escaped last week against Red Mountain.

6 10-1 Salpointe Catholic 17
3 9-2 Desert Vista 20

Salpointe has only one loss, but has played an extremely weak schedule this season. Desert Vista has won seven games in a row after starting 2-2. The Thunder can be inconsistent at times; they escaped last week against 14th seed Mesa Mountain View in double overtime. They beat St. Mary's by only a touchdown, and beat Corona del Sol, who fired their coach recently, by four.

10 8-3 Desert Ridge 24
15 6-6 Gilbert 10

Both teams are coming off of surprising first round upsets, the Gilbert Tigers defeated 2nd seeded Basha and the Desert Ridge Jaguars defeated 7th seeded Chandler. Since starting 2-3, the Jaguars have won 6 games in a row including a victory at 5th seeded Mountain Pointe.

5A-II

1 11-0 Chaparral 56
9 10-1 Lake Havasu 3

You can bet the farm on the Chaparral Firebirds winning on Friday. The defending 5A-II champions have steamrolled everyone, scoring 54 points a game and only allowing 7 a contest. 2010 is only the second season for Chaparral playing in 5A, but they have only lost 1 game in that time period. Lake Havasu only has one loss, but has one of the weakest schedules in 5A.

5 9-3 Boulder Creek 21
4 9-2 Westview 24

Both of these teams are evenly matched with 9 wins. Westview has scored at least 21 points in every single game they've played this season. Boulder Creek led entering the fourth quarter against 2nd seed Sandra Day O'Conner.

3 10-1 Centennial 28
6 9-2 Marcos de Niza 17

Last year Marcos de Niza upset the Centennial Coyotes in the semifinals 16-14, ending the Coyotes 39 game winning streak. You can bet Centennial remembers that game. Both teams are excel on the ground, averaging over 8 yards a carry.

2 11-0 Sandra Day O'Conner 31
7 8-3 Ironwood Ridge 21

O'Conner hasn't lost a game all year and only two of those games they were contested in the fourth quarter. Ironwood Ridge defeated Horizon convincingly in the first round. The Nighthawks have to travel from Tuscon to north of the 101 to play at O'Conner.

Brophy Overcomes First Mountain

On Friday Nov. 12, the Brophy Broncos defeated the Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions by a score of 24-17.

The Broncos came in as the 13th seed playing the 4th seeded Mountain Lions. The game was a rematch of a 2009 playoff game in which Brophy shut out Mountain Ridge 24-0.

Josh Dennard '11 scored two first half touchdowns of distances two yards and 78 yards. The 78 yard touchdown, which gave Brophy a 14-7 lead in the second quarter, was the longest play of the season for the Broncos.

The Mountain Lions appeared to have momentum going into halftime; they were ahead 17-14 and had stopped Brophy on four consecutive runs inside the five yard line. It appeared the Broncos had scored on 1st and 2nd down, but the officials would have none of it.

In the first half, the Mountain Lions were very effective basically running two different plays. One of them was a wide reciever screen to the sideline; the other play was a run up the middle by P.J Sparks.

Midway through the third quarter Devon Allen '13 caught a score from Fred Gammage '12 to give Brophy a 21-17 lead, a lead that would not be relinquished.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Casey Skowron '11 made his first field goal of the season giving Brophy a 24 -17 lead. The field goal was the first of his career; he took over for Zac Bryan '12 last week against Yuma, but he did not attempt a field goal.

Coming into Friday's game, Hunter Young, Mountain Ridge's quarterback, led 5A-I with 13 interceptions.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Mountain Lions drove inside of the Brophy 30 yard line. However, true to form, Young threw an interception. Marcus Mehlhaf-Brown '11 deflected a throw by Young into the hands of Jordan Graves '11, who is a former reciever.

Mountain Ridge would get a final chance after a Brophy punt, but Young threw his second interception of the game, this time to Paul Wirth '11.

Next week Brophy heads to No. 5 Mountain Pointe to face the Pride. The pride narrowly defeated No. 12 Red Mountain; they trailed 14-0 entering the fourth quarter and scored 21 points in the final period to win.

Photos by the roundup (Ben Jackson '11 and Rob March '11)

5A-I 1st round predictions

1 11-0 Hamilton 41
16 5-6 Westwood 9

Hamilton is a lock this week, even with offensive lineman Christian Westerman out for the season. The Huskies are looking for their third straight state championship.

8 8-2 Mesquite 27
9 7-3 North Canyon 19

North Canyon is limping into the playoffs literally and figuratively. After starting 6-1, the Rattlers have lost 2 of 3 games and their starting quaterback Dominic Portocarrero is out for the season. Mesquite's only two losses on the season were to Chapparal (No. 1 in 5A-II) and at Basha by a point.

5 8-2 Mountain Pointe 20
12 6-4 Red Mountain 16

I've been debating in my head for awhile regarding if I think Red Mountain is for real. They have a nice win over No. 3 Centennial (5A-II), but have lost 4 of their last 6 games entering postseason play. Mountain Pointe has an impressive win over No. 3 Desert Vista and Marcos De Niza, who went to the finals in 5A-II last season.

4 8-2 Mountain Ridge 21
13 5-5 Brophy 19

This game is a real tossup, Brophy has been struggling on offense the majority of the season, especially since quaterback Tyler Bruggman got injured. Mountain Ridge has benefited from playing a light schedule and is led by senior running back P.J Sparks.

6 9-1 Salpointe Cathlolic 16
11 4-7 Saint Mary's 17

There's been a lot of criticism on St. Mary's making the playoffs; they have won 4 games and lost 7, but played the toughest schedule of anyone in the state. The Knights got a much needed win over No. 8 North Canyon to conclude the regular season and defeated arch-rival Brophy earlier this year. Salpointe only has 1 loss, but has played a soft schedule filled with Tuscon cupcakes.

3 8-2 Desert Vista 35
14 5-5 Mesa Mountain View 17

Desert Vista is peaking at just the right time having defeated Fiesta-region foes Brophy and Red Mountain. Mesa Mountain View is dissapointing and is in a downward spiral ever since their dominance in the state ended in the early 2000's.

7 7-3 Chandler 38
10 7-3 Desert Ridge 20

In the offseason it was proclaimed that this would be the season the Chandler Wolves knocked off Hamilton. It didn't happen; Chandler relies on quarterback Brett Hundley a lot, their defense is poor and their runningbacks have been injured. Desert Ridge has flown under the radar this year with a balanced offense.

2 9-1 Basha 31
15 5-6 Gilbert 13

Basha's only loss was to Yuma Cibola which was surprising; they have a couple very close games this season. Gilbert made the playoffs despite losing more games than won. Gilbert lost to the Bears earlier in the season by four scores.

Mountain Ridge Cheat Sheet

• The Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions play host to the Brophy Broncos in a first round playoff game November 12th.
• The game is a rematch of the 2009 first round game between these teams, which Brophy won 24-0.
  
• The Mountain Lions went 8-2 in the regular season, earning themselves the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.
  
• Key Players to watch (stats through 9 games):
  
• No. 22 RB/DB P.J Sparks- 119 carries for 955 yards and 13 touchdowns, 37 yards per kickoff return.
  
• No. 3 QB Hunter Young- 153/246 (62%) 20 touchdowns with 13 interceptions , 36 carries for 268 yards.
• No. 32 LB Spencer Hammitt- 64 tackles, 6 sacks

Photo by Mica Mulloy

Yuma Cheat Sheet

• The Brophy Broncos (4-5, 2-3 Fiesta) head to the Yuma (2-7, 2-5) looking to even their record.
  
• There's only 30 players on Yuma's roster, and they are in 5A-Divison II.
• With a win over the Criminals, the #16 Broncos will advance to the playoffs.
• Since no one not on the team is going to Yuma (I'm not even going, SAT next morning) it will be important to watch the scoreboard.
  
• No. 13 Saint Mary’s plays No. 6 North Canyon, No. 14 Westwood plays No. 19 Gilbert, and No. 18 Cesar Chavez plays No. 3 Centennial (5A-II).
• No. 15 Maryvale and No. 17 Buena have concluded their regular seasons.
  
• Key Player to watch for Yuma: #2 RB Trayvon Clark - I can't find much on him this year because Yuma has only entered stats from two of their nine games, but last year he ran for just over 1,000 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.

Photo by Andrew Ahearne '11

Brophy Struck by Thunder

By Justin Janssen ’11
THE ROUNDUP

Photo by Andrew Ahearne '11 - Josh Dennard '11 (No. 13) encourages his teammates Brophy's last Varsity home game against Desert Vista on 10/29.

First Down: Brophy falls in Fiesta finale

On Oct. 29 the Brophy Broncos (4-5, 2-3 Fiesta) lost to the Desert Vista Thunder (7-2, 3-1 Fiesta) by a score of 38 to 14.

Brophy’s fans were all asked to wear black; little did they know their mood after the game would also be dark.

In the first half, it appeared Brophy would make a game of it.

Marche Dennard ’13 scored the game’s first touchdown on a three yard run to give Brophy a 7-0 lead.

After two Desert Vista touchdowns and midway through the second quarter, Fred Gammage ’12 found Devon Allen ’13 for a 78 yard touchdown to give Brophy a 14-13 lead.

The touchdown play was the longest play of the season for Brophy.

Just before the half the Broncos had a chance to take the lead, but their kicker missed wide left from 29 yards.

Later, with Desert Vista already ahead 25-14 in the third quarter, Hunter Rodriquez found Austin McLennan for 30 yards.

On the next play Mike Arredondo sealed the game with a 5 yard touchdown run giving the Thunder a 32-14 lead.

Second Down: Five Turnovers Doom Brophy

Brophy lost the turnover battle five to one with four of Brophy’s five turnovers coming in the second half.

The four second half turnovers resulted in the Broncos running only 15 offensive plays in the second half, as compared to 35 plays run by Desert Vista in the half.

Brophy’s first play of the second half resulted in a lost fumble, giving the Thunder field position at the Brophy 13.

Two plays later Desert Vista scored a touchdown, giving them a 22-14 lead with 7:46 left in the third quarter.

“You can’t win games when you turn the ball over” said Brophy head football coach Mr. Scooter Molander.

Third Down: Undersized Charley Beck continues to impress

Defensive End Charley Beck ’11 has 10 sacks on the season after sacking Hunter Rodriquez of Desert Vista on Oct. 29.

The Thunder had the ball at the Brophy 11 yard line late in the third quarter facing a second and short.

Beck exploded through a collapsed pocket and wrapped up Rodriquez, giving Beck his 10^th sack of the season. This is six more than anyone else on Brophy.

More importantly for Brophy, the sack forced Desert Vista to kick a field goal.

Beck is listed as 5’10 185 pounds yet he lines up every week against an offensive lineman 50 to 100 pounds heavier than he is and four to six inches taller.

Entering the Oct. 29 game against Desert Vista, Beck also has 67 tackles, which is second on the team. In addition he has blocked a field goal and a punt.

Fourth Down: Brophy still in position to make playoffs

Despite losing the last two games by a combined score of 65 to 14, the Brophy Broncos are in position to make the playoffs.

After losing to Desert Vista, Brophy fell from 15^th in powerpoints to 16^th with one game remaining in the regular season.

The last game of the regular season is Nov. 5 at Yuma, which is located on the California-Arizona border and is just over three hours away.

“It’s important for us to get this next ballgame” said Mr. Molander.

Bronco fans will be scoreboard watching next week because not many can make the trip to Yuma.

Other key games for teams on the bubble for playoff entrance: No. 13 Saint Mary’s plays No. 6 North Canyon, No. 14 Westwood plays No. 19 Gilbert, and No. 18 Cesar Chavez plays No. 3 Centennial (5A-II).

Desert Vista Cheat Sheet

• The game is a rematch of the 2007 5A Division I state title game where the Brophy Broncos defeated the Desert Vista Thunder 34-21.
• Brophy's offense is scuffling right now averaging 15 points a game on the season, down from 33 points a game last year.
  
• Desert Vista (6-2 overall, 2-1 Fiesta) , 6th in 5A-I currently, is fresh off an upset over Chandler.
• If Brophy loses this game in all likelihood they will make the playoffs, but will have a very tough first round match-up.
  
• Key Players to Watch:
  
• #42 RB/WR/S Mike Ingrassia: is the leading rusher and reciever on team (42 carries 458 yards 4 TD, 23 catches 335 yards), also 3 INT on defense
  
• #16 QB Hunter Rodriquez: has struggled this year (completion 52%, 7 TD vs 7 INT, QB rating of 69).

• The game is at 7 PM at Phoenix College on Friday October 29th. Brophy is asking the fans to all wear black (hopefully we're not attending our own funeral)
  

By Justin Janssen ’11
THE ROUNDUP

First Down: Brophy offense shut out

The last time the Brophy Broncos played at Hamilton High School, which was 2008, Brophy was shut out 10-0.

Two years later Brophy returned to Hamilton and was shut out again, this time by a score of 27-0 on Oct 22.

Brophy (4-4 overall, 2-2 Fiesta) had an opportunity early in the second quarter to score.

With the Broncos down 6-0 to Hamilton (9-0 overall, 3-0 Fiesta) they lined up for a 34 yard field goal.

The kick missed a couple inches wide right.

The other chance Brophy had to score was early in the fourth quarter. Fred Gammage ’12 found Matt Auran ’13 for a 17 yard gain, giving the Broncos possession at the Hamilton nine yard line.

However, Gammage was sacked on three consecutive plays and combined with a delay of game penalty; Brophy was out of field goal range.

Second Down: Gammage still learning

It’s a tall order for someone making only his second start at quarterback to lead his team against the best team in 5A-Division I.

That was the situation Gammage was in on Oct. 22 against Hamilton.

He moved from wide receiver to quarterback after Tyler Bruggman ’13 injured his ankle and was lost for the season.

“He (Gammage) hasn’t played quarterback since Pop Warner. It’s been a while” said Brophy football coach Mr. Scooter Molander.

Gammage finished the day 10 for 19 with 77 yards and an interception, but was sacked six times (three by Hamilton defensive tackle Shaq Jenkins).

“He competed, he’ll learn. He made some mistakes but he made some really good throws,” Mr. Molander added.

Photo by Ben Jackson '11 - A group of Brophy Broncos combine to make a tackle against Hamilton High School on Oct. 22.

Third Down: Defense plays well

Hamilton averages more than 41 points a game and the 27 points scored by Hamilton on Oct. 22 is their second fewest of the season.

In the first half Brophy only gave up two field goals.

With Hamilton up 3-0 in the first half, Charley Beck ’11 recovered a fumble from Jai Johnson to slow the Huskies momentum.

Late in the second quarter, Matt Cahal ’12, who leads 5A-I with 5 interceptions, deflected a Kyren Poe pass, forcing Hamilton to punt.

“The defense played excellent, gutsy” Mr. Scooter Molander said.

Fourth Down: Desert Vista to decide playoff status

Before the game against rival Hamilton, Brophy was ranked 15^th in powerpoints, which determines the teams who make the playoffs.

The Broncos remained 15^th despite losing; due to the amount of points they received by playing top ranked Hamilton.

Next week Brophy plays host to 6^th ranked Desert Vista, who is fresh off an upset victory over Chandler.

“That’s our season, quite frankly. It allows us to continue towards the playoffs” said Mr. Scooter Molander.

Even if Brophy falls to Desert Vista, there is a small chance the Broncos could sneak into the playoffs because the teams below them do not have a good chance of winning their remaining games.

Hamilton Cheat Sheet

You probably did not read the title if you don't know how good Brophy's opponent on Fri Oct. 22 is.

Hamilton has won five of the last seven Arizona state titles in football. Brophy won the other two.

The Huskies are riding a 33 game win streak, their last loss was Sept. 12 2008 against Centennial.

Currently, Hamilton is ranked #13 by ESPN rise and #24 in the nation by Maxpreps.

Players to watch:

• #75 OT Christian Westerman is the 4th rated prospect overall using ESPN.
  
• #7 QB Kyren Poe- 10 TD 2 INT, also leads team in rushing (453 yards 6 TD).
• #8 WR Tanner Clay- recruited to play soccer, he is Hamilton's big play reciever (24 catches 609 yards 6 TD).



• #90 DT Shaq Jenkings 6 sacks, 41 tackles, 3 star recruit using ESPN


• #9 LB Tyler Rutt 74 tackles, 6 passes deflected

Note: I do not own either of these photos

Three and Out - Mesa

By Justin Janssen ’11
THE ROUNDUP

First Down: Brophy down to the fourth and fifth string quarterbacks

On Thursday Oct. 14 quarterback Tyler Bruggman ’13 suffered an ankle injury and Brophy was sent scrambling to find a replacement.

Before the season started, the quarterback position was very deep and Garrett Wilson ’11 switched to defense in order to get more playing time.

Two days before Brophy’s opening game Chase Knox ’12 transferred to Madison High School in California, making Bruggman the starter.

During the homecoming game against Red Mountain on Oct.1 Wilson fractured his fibula, ending his season.

This brings us back to Oct. 14 where Bruggman injured his ankle.

The coaching staff decided to call up Greg Wirth ’13 from junior varsity and to move Fred Gammage ’12 from wide receiver to quarterback.

The two quarterbacks combined to record 8/11 for 78 yards and an interception in the 9-7 Brophy win on Friday Oct.15 at Mesa.

After the game Brophy head coach Mr. Scooter Molander said they played great and “Wirth’s intelligence showed his understanding of the offense.”

Second Down: Bryan gets redemption

With Brophy down 7-6 because kicker Zac Bryan ’12 missed an extra point after a first half touchdown, Bryan had a chance to win the game with 6 minutes to go.

The Broncos lined up for a 49 yard field goal. If the kick was made it would be a season long for Bryan.

However the snap was botched which sent the kicker running nowhere with the ball. After the play Mr. Molander told his kicker “You’ll get another opportunity.”

Brophy’s defense forced a three and out and Mesa recorded an 11 yard punt that set Brophy up with excellent field position.

After a couple first downs Brophy was in field goal range. On fourth down at the Mesa 18 yard line, Brophy brought their offense back onto the field.

The move was to try and pull Mesa offsides, but Mesa didn’t jump forcing Wirth to call a timeout.

Bryan lined up for a 35 yard field goal try and nailed it, giving Brophy a 9-7 lead with just over three minutes to go in the game.

Third Down: Defense benefits from three Mesa fumbles

In the first half, Mesa dominated the time of possession. Brophy only ran three plays in the first quarter.

During the game Mesa ran 44 rushing plays for 250 yards compared to only 10 passing plays for 32 yards.

After the game Mr. Molander said “the defense bent, but did not break.”

On Mesa’s opening possession they ran 10 plays, all of them runs. The Jackrabbits drove inside the Brophy 30 yard line, but on the 10^th play quarterback Jeremy Noble lost a fumble.

Mesa’s next drive took 13 plays. They were going to punt, when another bad snap forced Mesa’s punter to scramble. He ran 35 yards down the sideline extending the drive.

Four plays later the Jackrabbits would fumble again; this time they would not recover it.

Late in the third quarter Brophy quarterback Wirth threw an interception that was deflected off of a Bronco receiver.

On the very next play Mesa lost their third fumble of the game, all of them were due to poor snaps.

Fourth Down: Dennard carrying offense

With neither of Brophy’s quarterbacks having much experience Josh Dennard ’11 knew he was going to have to carry a majority of the load against Mesa.

Dennard ran 24 times for 101 yards and scored Brophy’s only touchdown on a 1 yard run with 5:32 remaining in the second quarter.

On the 12 play touchdown drive Dennard had 10 carries.

Photo by Ben Jackson '11 - Matthew Auran '13 catches a pass from Fred Gammage '12 against Mesa Oct. 15.

“We were able to establish the run early,” Mr. Molander said. He went on to add “It was a full team effort; the wide receivers had their best blocking game of the season.”

The wide receiver blocking was even more incredible considering Matt Auran ’13 was making only his second start and Gammage was switching between quarterback and receiver often.

The win keeps playoffs in sight; Brophy was 17^th in power points entering the game against Mesa and is bound to move up after this victory.

Mesa Cheat Sheet

• Mesa and Brophy met twice last season, with Brophy winning in the regular season and Mesa prevailing in the quarterfinal game in the playoffs.
• In 2010 Mesa is 2-5 (0-3 fiesta) and is riding low on a 5 game losing streak.
  
• Brophy is 17th in power points, while Mesa is 20th.
• Players to watch for Mesa: #40 LB/TE Setone (Tony) Vaitafa. Tony has served a 3 game suspension earlier in the year for academics and may miss this one due to a motorcycle injury. He was all state last year with 9 1/2 sacks.
  
• One of Mesa's biggest concerns is the QB position (#9 Jeremy Noble). The team is averaging less than 100 yards passing a game and Noble has thrown as many touchdowns (6) as interceptions (6).
• Also watch #21 Marquis Pharrams from Mesa. He is their leading rusher and reciever (509 rushing yards, 149 recieving yards and 4 TD). Pharrams also returns on kickoffs and has had great sucess averaging over 30 yards a return.
  
• Late on Thursday Brophy QB Tyler Bruggman suffered a season ending ankle injury. The freak injury occurred during walk-through's.
  

• Game is at Mesa Friday at 7 PM and will be broadcast on www.aia365.com

Red Mountain Cheat Sheet

• Going into the 2009 Brophy game, Red Mountain was undefeated and ranked #2 in the state.
• Brophy destroyed them 46-17 and Red Mountain's season collapsed from there winning only one more game.
  
• Red Mountain gave up more than 20 points in 10 of their 11 games last year.
• Red Mountain head coach Ron Wisniewski is in his 1st season.
• The Lions are 4-0 for the second straight season, their most impressive wins on the year are at fiesta foe Mesa and against Westwood.
• Game is on FSN Arizona (Internet)
• This will be the first game of the season I will not be attending and it's homecoming.
  

Halfway Home

First Down: Brophy falls in Fiesta shootout

On Thursday, Sept. 23, the Brophy Broncos (2-3 overall, 0-1 fiesta) lost to the Chandler Wolves (4-1 overall, 2-0 fiesta) in a Fiesta Region high scoring affair 43-29.

The 72 combined points are the most scored in a Brophy football game since 2004.

Brett Hundley, four star UCLA quarterback recruit, was able to lead Chandler on five scoring drives in the first half. All of them took 10 plays or more and four of their five first half drives went for touchdowns.

With the Broncos down 29-14 entering the second half, Brophy’s defense sparked their offense.

On Chandler’s first two possessions in the second half, the Brophy defense forced two three and outs.

Late in the third quarter Josh Dennard ’11 returned a Chandler punt 35 yards, taking it to the Chandler 15 yard line.

Two plays later Brophy pulled within two points of Chandler on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Bruggman’13 to Devon Allen ’13. Brophy would convert the two point conversion, which tied the game with 3:06 remaining in the third quarter.

Chandler responded by scoring two touchdowns on their next two drives. Brophy missed a field goal and turned it over on downs during that same interval.

Second Down: Dennard breaks loose

For the first four weeks of the season, Josh Dennard ’11 was splitting time in the backfield. This week, the coaching staff decided to move Dennard to near fulltime duty alongside Kevin Molloy ’11.

On Thursday night, Dennard carried the ball 19 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by his 59-yard touchdown run on an inside shovel pass.

Dennard is now playing both sides of the field after Marcus-Mehlhaf Brown ‘11 switched positions from corner to safety.

Dennard also had a kickoff and punt return of over 30 yards.

On kickoffs, Chandler attempted to directionally kick the ball away from Dennard.

Third Down: Hundley, Chandler’s offense too much for Brophy

Coming into the 2010 season, it is widely thought that Hundley is the best quarterback in Arizona.

ESPN.com Scouts Inc. compared him to Donavon McNabb in terms of physical tools.

Hundley’s running ability is well known; his elusiveness and strength make him tough to bring down.

There was something Hundley added to his arsenal; “He (Hundley) has really improved his passing ability” said Brophy head coach Mr. Scooter Molander after the game.

On the day Hundley threw for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns, he also ran for another 88 yards.

Hundley had plenty of help from his teammates. Aaron Mayo ran for 103 yards and a score. Michael Okonkwo had 91 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Fourth Down: Fans should not give up on the team

It’s halfway through the regular season and Brophy has a losing record, including a loss to arch-rival St. Mary’s a few weeks ago.

But there’s still reason to have optimism. In 2008, Brophy started the year 2-3 as they have in 2010. The end result from 2008 was a second consecutive trip to University of Phoenix Stadium for the state championship.

Some fans are concerned about Brophy giving up 73 points in the last two games, but Chandler and Centennial are both top five teams in the state, regardless of the division.

In 5A Division I, 16 out of 31 teams make the playoffs. Entering the duel against Chandler, Brophy sat at 11^th in power points.

The formula for power points is based off the amount of wins a team has, the amount of wins the team’s opponent has and the amount of wins a team’s opponent’s opponents have.

Unofficial stats Brophy @ Chandler

Brophy

• Tyler Bruggman '13 14/27 167 yards 2 TD INT , 1 carry -2 yards

• Josh Dennard '11 19 carries 139 yards 2 TD, 3 catches 34 yards
  

• Devon Allen '13 5 catches 59 yards, 2 carries 16 yards

• Fredrick Gammage '12 6 catches 71 yards TD, 2 Point Conversion from Bruggman

• Marche Dennard '13 1 carry 8 yard

• Zac Bryan '12 0/1 FG (37 yards), 4/4 PAT

• Robert Relf '13, Charley Beck '11, and Michael Mosharrafa each with a sack
  

Chandler

• Brett Hundley 20/36 295 yards 4 TD 0 INT, 15 carries 88 yards

• Mayo 13 carries 103 yards TD, 2 catches 23 yards TD

• Bishop 8 carries 43 yards TD, 2 catches 2 yards

• Mills 4 catches 84 yards

• Okonkwo 6 catches 91 yards TD

• Williams 4 catches 69 yards TD

• Perkins 1 catch 25 yards

• Winston 1 catch 1 yard TD
  

• Sacked Bruggman twice
  

Chandler Cheat Sheet

• Odds are you've heard of Chandler Wolves quarteback Brett Hundley
• He is a 4-star recruit who committed to UCLA a couple weeks ago. Scouts compare him to Donavon McNabb, and Hundley leads the Wolves in rushing.
• In 2009 Brophy defeated Chandler 27-26 in overtime for Brophy's homecoming.
  
• Chandler is 5th in 5A-I in terms of power points, Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic ranks them 2nd in 5A-I. Brophy is 11th in power points.
• Key Players for Chandler (other than Brett Hundley):
  
• #22 RB/DB Aaron Mayo- is averaging 7 yards a carry, has a 99 yard kickoff return for a TD.
• #5 LB Rufus Greene- has 5 sacks, 28 tackles, and 2 passes deflected on the season.
• Game is at Chandler and on COX 7 Thursday night at 7 PM
  

First Work for the Roundup

The following analysis can also be found here: http://www.brophybroncos.org/roundup/

First down: First blowout loss since 2007

Going into the game against the Centennial Coyotes on Sept. 16 not many people were predicting the Brophy Broncos to come out victorious.

Many people consider Centennial, who has won three of the last four 5A-II titles, to be a perennial Goliath in a fight versus David. On Thursday Brophy struggled throw a pebble at its Coyote predator.

The 30-7 loss to Centennial at home is the first blowout loss suffered by Brophy since the beginning of the 2007 season.

In that year, Brophy was thumped 29-6 against rival Hamilton at home.

Since the first Hamilton-Brophy game in 2007 until Thursday, the biggest loss for the Broncos was 12 points, which was against Centennial last season.

Second down: Lopsided rushing game

Centennial was able to run the ball effectively against the Broncos, which proved to be game changing. With the Coyotes already up 7-0, Centennial quarterback Justin Sanchez faked a handoff to Vegas Johnson and took off 73 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown.

Brophy, on the other hand, was not able to generate much on the ground. Starter Kevin Mulloy ‘11 and versatile Josh Dennard ‘11 combined for 15 carries and 31 yards.

When asked how the team can improve following the loss, head coach Mr. Scooter Molander said “we need to get back to basics.”

Third down: Second half turnovers, miscues prove costly

Going into half time, Brophy was down 17-0. Many might have been tempted to think the game was over, but if you look at the recent history of Brophy football, second half comebacks are often the story.

In the 2009 game against Centennial, Brophy was also down 17-0 at the half. Brophy stormed back and trailed 17-12 late in the fourth quarter. The Broncos were about to take the lead in that game, however, an inadvertent whistle blew a Brophy touchdown dead on a fumble return.

On Brophy’s opening possession of the second half this time around, the Broncos made it to the red zone. However, the Broncos missed a 37-yard field goal attempt wide right.

Later in the quarter, after Brophy’s defense forced a three and out, Tyler Bruggman ‘13 threw an interception on the first play of the drive.

On Brophy’s next possession, after forcing a punt, Bruggman completed a four-yard pass to Molloy. But a fumble gave the Coyotes great field position.

Matt Cahal ‘12 gave his offense another chance by intercepting a pass in the end zone. Cahal was drilled on the play, and had to be helped off by three teammates.

“The turnover margin is an absolute joke,” Mr. Molander said.

He went on to say Brophy needed to be more consistent and to “bring it on every play.”

Fourth down: Bronco fans outnumbered by Centennial fans

Looking between the home and visitor stands on Thursday night, Centennial filled their section of Phoenix College while the home team left many seats empty. This was most apparent in the beginning of the game, when the student section could fit in the first few rows of the stadium.

Some people may not have gone because it was a school night. However, that did not seem to affect Centennial fans, whose school is half an hour away.

Some students indicated they did not go to the game because the team had lost to rival St. Mary’s in the previous week. It is sad to think some students are fair-weather fans, meaning they will only go to the game if the team is winning.

Bottom line is the team needs the students to support them at games.

Next week’s game against Chandler is on the road and is also on a Thursday night. Brophy fans will need to decide if they are going to stand by the team.

A Second Shot at Centennial

• Last 5 seasons: 13-1 (5A II Semifinalist), 14-0 (5A II Champion), 13-1 (5A II Champion), 14-0 (5A II Champion), 11-3 (5A II finalist).
• Centennial beat #2 Chandler 48-42 in that game, Centennial is #2 in 5A-II while Chandler is #2 in 5A-I.
  
• The Coyotes lose a great running back in Anthony Hughes, but they keep reloading. Against Chandler, Centennial ran for nearly 400 yards.
  
• Last season Brophy lost 24-12 at Centennial, Brophy was down 17-0 at the half, but rallied to close the gap to 17-12.
  
• Like last year, not many people are giving Brophy a chance, especially after Brophy lost to St. Mary's last week.

Centennial head coach Richard Taylor looks disgusted in the 2009 game against Brophy
Picture is from the Arizona Republic

The Knight the Streak Died

On the eve of September 11th, 2010, the St. Mary's Knights stunned the #3 Brophy Broncos 16-13. The Broncos came in with a 7 game winning streak against the Knights.

Right from the get go, the Broncos looked jittered. On the second play from scrimmage, Brophy turned it over on a fumble. This play gave St. Mary's excellent field position; the Knights converted two fourth downs on the drive leading to a touchdown.

Preseason concerns were exposed in the loss to St. Mary's. Losing Max Leonesio '10 and Alex Garoutte '10 to graduation hurt. Leonesio ran for over 3000 yards the last two seasons; on Friday Brophy as a team had only 20 yards rushing on 9 carries.

In the second quarter, the Broncos started to gain momentum. Josh Dennard '11 caught a screen pass and scored to close the gap to 10-7. With Brophy down by this score late in the half, coach Scooter Molander dialed up a perfectly excecuted hook and lateral. This play put Brophy in position to tie the game, but they missed the field goal twice. On the first attempt the snap was botched; on the second try Zach Bryan's field goal was blocked.

Brophy and St. Mary's share the stadium at Phoenix College. Normally, Brophy has their DJ playing at games, even on the road. This year DJ Ra stepped up to the mic after DJ Bryce Muzzy '10 graduated. But St. Mary's was worried that a disk jockey would ruin their homefield advantage. St. Mary's hired their own "professional" DJ, but he was drowned out by the raging Brophy fans.

Late in the game, Brophy was mounting a comeback. With the Broncos down 16-7, Tyler Bruggman '13 hit Devon Allen '13 for a touchdown. The extra points, however, were a nightmare. After the first and second attempts were good, penalties called them back. On the third try a St. Mary's penalty gave Zach Bryan '12 a fourth and final shot. He missed it, but Brophy was not done. After St. Mary's nearly turned it over on the kickoff, Brophy forced a three and out. The directional punt was atrocious, giving the Brophy excellent field position at the 23.

The key play was 4th and 10 from the 11 yard line. A field goal would have sent the game into overtime. St. Mary's called timeout to ice Brophy's kicker; instead the Broncos sent the offense back onto the field. They could not convert the fourth down play, and Brophy's 7 game winning streak against St. Mary's was over.

photos by the Arizona Republic

Brophy - Chandler game to be on COX 7

The game is at Chandler on Thursday, September 23rd.

This game will be replayed on Saturday September 25th at 5:30 PM

Currently Chandler is the #2 ranked team in 5A-I, while Brophy Prep is #3.

To the left is Brett Hundley, QB for Chandler. He is one of Arizona's top 2011 prospects and has verbally committed to UCLA.

Prelude to St. Mary's

• Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic predicts St. Marys 21 to Brophy 20.
• St. Mary's last 5 seasons: 5-7, 3-7, 3-7, 7-4, 7-4
• St. Mary's comes in very thin, only 44 players on the roster, although this is a slight improvement in recent years.
• There are talks of St. Mary's dropping down to 4A because of their lack of competition and their enrollment is plummeting (around 700 students).
  
• Brophy comes in winning 7 straight against St. Mary's, however, the all time series is 29-23 in favor of the Knights.
  
• A little scouting report: St. Mary's corners are not fast enough for Devon Allen, and the other speedy Bronco receivers. Expect the Broncos to punish St. Mary's at the line of scrimmage, with some St. Mary's players having to play both offense and defense. Also St. Mary's struggles when the opponents motion players before a play.
  
• St. Mary's is very young, the players are undersized, but they have a lot of team speed.

This car was destroyed in a 2008 rally.
Photo is owned by Brophy Prep

Brophy Musters Enough Offense to Hold off Gilbert

by: Justin Janssen '11

Early on Brophy looked like they would roll Gilbert. Moments after kickoff, Devon Allen '13 hauled in a 33 yard TD bomb from Tyler Bruggman '13. A few seconds earlier Burggman threw a long completion. Brophy made two field goals in the half, and Josh Dennard '11 scored a TD to make the game 18-0 at the half.



Credit the Gilbert Tigers for not quitting in this one. Just a few minutes into the half, Nathan Causey found a hole in the Broncos defense, and hit Marcus Brantley in full stride, for a 58 yard touchdown.

Gilbert and Brophy's offenses sputtered the rest of the way. Penalties and turnovers derailed promising drives on both sides. Gilbert had three drives where they made it to the 32 or farther, but came up empty. In the first quarter Gilbert made it to the Brophy 32, but Matt Cahal '12 intercepted an errant Causey pass. Later, Gilbert advanced to the 29 but turned it over on downs. In the 4th quarter, Causey was sacked by Danny Riggs '11 and Charley Beck '11 after Gilbert had advanced to the Brophy 21, ending the threat.

The field goal team had another wild night. Zack Bryan '12 went 2/3 on field goals and 0/2 on extra points. This comes a week after he went 1/3 on field goals and 3/4 on extra points. Perhaps we were spoiled by Alex Garoutte '10, who is playing football at ASU now. On the positive side, Bryan showed off some range, he has made two field goals greater than 45 yards.

Joe Maggi '11 is out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. Maggi underwent surgery last Friday and may be able to return for baseball season. The football team is keeping his spirit around, while he is on the sideline. Maggi lets a different player wear his jersey for the games. Against Deer Valley DE/LB Ethan Cooper '11 sported Maggi's number 7, against Gilbert WR/PR Josh Dennard wore the lucky jersey.

Information from the East Valley Tribune was used in this report
Photos by Tim Hacker