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

Brophy Releases Roster

http://www.brophyfootball.org/players.html

Cheat Sheet for Gilbert

By: Justin Janssen '11

• Last 5 seasons: 4-6, 7-4, 6-5, 5-6, 8-4 (made playoffs 2005-2008)
• Play in 5A Division I - Central Region
  
• Coach Dan Dunn had coached with the school in the 1970's and 1980's, returned for the 2009 season.

• That's him above (photo by Sam Good)
• Gilbert returns 10 starters from last season
• Brophy defeated Gilbert 41-9 last season
• Senior QB's #8 Nathaniel Causey (6'2 215) and #14 Young Tanner (5'8 165) in competition

Information from Maxpreps.com and azcentral.com was used in this blog

Bruggman, Strong Second Half Fuel Brophy to Victory

By: Justin Janssen '11

Brophy Prep didn't score in the first half against Deer Valley in the opening game of the 2010 season. It didn't matter.

Andrew "Scooter" Molander, head coach for Brophy, led the team on another strong second half performance. Credit the Strength and Conditioning Department for their hard work. Brophy wears opponents down in the second half.

Late in the night of August 25th, 2010, last year's starting quarterback Chase Knox accounced he was transferring. The announcement came just two days before the first game against Deer Valley. The decision came after coach Molander decided he was going to use a two quarterback system. Chase felt he was the starter and reportedly wanted to get more playing time. More playing time ensures a better shot of playing Division 1 football.

Chase Knox would of split time with Tyler Bruggman '13. Bruggman threw for 340 yards in the opener, which is over 100 yards more than Chase's career high.

Coach Molander and offensive coordinator Bill Kalkman are running a new system which emphasises the passing game. Brophy lost top runningback Max Leonesio '10, who ran for over 3,000 yards the last 2 seasons. To Brophy's advantage, they have a surplus of wide recievers. Devon Allen '13 is one of the fastest athletes in the state. Fredrick Gammage '12 caught two touchdowns from Bruggman in the opener. Josh Dennard '11 has the most experience of the bunch.

Brophy came into the season ranked number 3 in 5A Division 1, which is the most competitive division in Arizona. The team lived up to that ranking, at least in the second half, but there are bigger battles to be fought.

Brophy football hits the TV and Computer

If you are out of town or are grounded for whatever reason, fortunately there is a solution. Three of the remaining nine games on Brophy's regular season schedule are available for anyone to watch. Details Below

Thursday September 16th, 2010 - 7 PM Centennial at Brophy www.FOXSportsArizona.com

Friday October 1st, 2010- 7 PM Red Mountain at Brophy (homecoming) www.FOXSportsArizona.com

Friday October 22nd, 2010- 7 PM Brophy at Hamilton FOX Sports Arizona (TV)

source: Jose E. Garcia of azcentral.com