At least once a week., the Brophy varsity football team makes it a priority to bond with one another after morning practice at Chick-fil-A. Regardless of whether they gather for 10 minutes or for an hour the Broncos enjoy getting together and conversing about their practice and the season ahead.
Traditions like these are what bring this team so close together. The athletes work hard to spend a lot of time with one another off the field. Whether on a retreat at Manresa or gathering at a teammate’s house, the team is constantly developing communication and trust, which eventually translates to their performance on the field.
The team features 5 athletes who have recently made commitments to the colleges they will be attending to play baseball. Although they are focused on college now, they still find time to deepen their relationships with their teammates.
“Every weekend, there’s something to do with my teammates, and I feel like that’s bringing us closer in love and in brotherhood,” said Nico Lara ’26, “And I feel like there are so many more, much deeper connections now.”
Ian Palumbo ’28 joined the team as a freshman last year and entered a group containing a majority of upperclassmen he hadn’t played with before. Despite being new to the team, he was quickly welcomed to the team by the older players and seemed to fit in easily.
“Honestly, I can’t thank the guys enough. The upperclassmen that just kind of took me in…” said Ian Palumbo ’28, “They’ve all been great in terms of introducing me to the team and making sure I know what to do and just making sure I feel like I fit in with the team.”
The bond of the team is described as unique by the athletes on the team. Lara, who has been a part of 3 different varsity teams, said, “If you compare Brophy to another public school, I feel like that’s where we have the upper hand, it’s where the brotherhood comes in, the chemistry comes in, because of how much time we spent with each other outside of campus,” said Lara.
The 5 athletes who have made commitments to the colleges they will be attending are: Jonah Castle ’26 at St. Mary’s College, Owen McGuire ’26 at Air Force Academy, Ronan O’Brien ’26 at Columbia University, Ryan Fesperman ’26 at Sacramento State, and Brandon Wirtz ’26 at Iowa Western.
The Bronocs finished last season with a 16-13 record and look to surpass this in the upcoming season.
This article was created by student journalists, with limited use of generative AI in accordance with our generative AI policy under editorial supervision.
