Photo Courtesy of Nero Nuez ’25
By Henry Walters ’25
THE ROUNDUP
For much of its history, Brophy’s rival, both in sports and overall, was St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix. The rivalry was fierce, and it was born from a shared history and numerous commonalities between the two schools.
After Brophy opened in 1928, originally with a green-based color scheme, it soon faced financial difficulties due to the Great Depression. The school closed in 1935, and the majority of Brophy students moved over to St. Mary’s. Because of the infusion of green sports jerseys and equipment, the Knights switched to their current green and white color scheme.
Brophy reopened in 1952, and used some athletic equipment from Santa Clara University, leading the school to use its current red and white. Brophy also borrowed the “Broncos” from Santa Clara.
The schools soon began playing football games against each other, partly because of their extremely close proximity. The games were often close, with both St. Mary’s and Brophy having winning streaks against the other. However, as Brophy grew larger and larger, the rivalry diminished.
Football games ceased between the two programs after Brophy’s 58-6 win over the Knights in 2012. However, the rivalry was brought back last season, and Brophy won 35-7.
Everybody at Brophy knows that St. Mary’s isn’t really our “rival” anymore. Unfortunately, it is not large enough and does not field 6A-level sports teams. However, a school of Brophy’s stature needs a rival, who will give us football and basketball games that will be tight, competitive, and that we can circle on our schedules.
Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale is the answer. Notre Dame competes in the 5A division, one step below 6A and both their football and basketball teams have been consistently successful in recent years.
Their football team, despite having a down year this season, has put up a 19-6 record over the previous two seasons, making them one of the most competitive teams in their division. Their basketball team has not only been one of the best teams in 5A, but also in the state, advancing to the quarterfinals of the AIA Open State Championships last season.
The point is, their athletics are on par with Brophy’s, making matchups between the two schools competitive and exciting. They are a regular opponent for Brophy in football and basketball, meaning the matchups do not need to be jammed in.
Finally, Brophy and Notre Dame largely compete to attract the same pool of students, as a solid number of students end up applying to both schools. This competitiveness in admissions can easily be expanded to all parts of both schools.
Brophy and Notre Dame both need a rival, and it is time for the Brophy community to start treating the Saints that way. I’ll start: the Saints suck!
