Photo by Andrew Ahearne '11 - Josh Dennard chargers by Red Mountain's defense Oct. 1.
First Down: Brophy defense getting their game back together
When the Broncos lost their first game of the year against rival St. Mary’s on Sept. 10, the defense surrendered 16 points to the Knights.
At that time, it was the largest amount of points in a game the defense gave up to the opposing offense.
A week later on Sept. 16 against the Centennial Coyotes, the Brophy defense capitulated 30 points, resulting in a 30-7 loss which is still the biggest defeat of the season for the Broncos.
Another week later on Sept. 23 the Broncos traveled to Chandler. Although the Brophy offense scored 29 points, the defense allowed 43 points to the Wolves.
Before playing Red Mountain on Oct. 1, the Broncos’ defense in their three game losing streak gave up a total of 89 points while in their first two games against Deer Valley and Gilbert surrendered a combined total of 19.
The 17-7 win over the Mountain Lions was a must-win game for the defense to get back to stopping opposing drives.
Not only did the defense limit Red Mountain to seven points, but they also caused five turnovers, one providing the Bronco offense good field position to score another early touchdown.
The Broncos are currently 3-0 in games in which the defense has given up 15 points or less. However, Brophy is 0-3 in games where the defense has allowed more than 15 points to their opponent.
Second Down: Brophy prepares to face second half of their regional opponents
After their victory, the Broncos’ overall record is 3-3 and their in-region play record is 1-1.
Brophy plays regional opponents Mesa Oct. 15, Hamilton Oct. 22 and Desert Vista Oct. 29.
After those three contests, the Broncos finish the regular season at Yuma.
In the Fiesta Region standings as of Oct. 5, Mesa is in last place with a 2-4 overall record and 0-2 record in region play. Hamilton is in first place with a 7-0 overall record and 2-0 record in region play. Desert Vista is in fourth place with a 3-2 overall record and 0-1 record in region play.
Brophy still has a shot at winning the Fiesta Region, but they need to win at least two of those remaining three games first to move up higher in the standings.
Third Down: Young Brophy offense improving more every game
Centennial held Brophy to one touchdown Sept. 16.
A week later, the offense came alive against Chandler scoring 29 total points from both halves. The Broncos lost the game, but their offense showed signs of hope.
Against Red Mountain, the offense scored two touchdowns early on their first two drives of the game. They led the Mountain Lions 14-0 with seven minutes of the first quarter completed.
Head coach Mr. Scooter Molander said that quarterback Tyler Bruggman ’13 played poised and that offensive players such as Josh Dennard ’11, Devon Allen ’13 and the offensive line all playing well.
In the Chandler and Red Mountain games, Dennard moved into the tailback spot for most of the plays running a combined total of 224 yards along with two touchdowns.
Mr. Molander added how proud he was of every one of his players and that they are becoming better after every game at playing as a team.
Fourth Down: Broncos prove to be a better home team than road team
Through the first six games of the year, the Broncos have had four home games against Deer Valley, Gilbert, Centennial and Red Mountain. Their two away games came against St. Mary’s and Chandler.
Looking closer at the Broncos, they played two games away from Phoenix College Field with Chandler and Deer Valley. However, the Deer Valley game took place at Central High School where Brophy was the home team.
The two games played as the away team are again Chandler and St. Mary’s, but the St. Mary’s matchup was at Phoenix College Field, the home site for the Broncos and the Knights.
The Broncos are 3-1 as the home team, 0-2 as the away team and 1-1 when playing away from Phoenix College Field.
Brophy has to become more comfortable with playing more games on the road now as three of their last four of the season are all away. Those three matchups are at Mesa, at Hamilton and at Yuma.
As the Broncos travel to different high schools in the next few weeks, hopefully their fans will join them on their road trip.
The previous away game against Chandler, the Brophy fan section was not intimidating at all, perhaps because the game was televised and fell on a school night.
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Not only did the defense limit Red Mountain to seven points, but they also caused five turnovers, one providing the Bronco offense good field position to score another early touchdown.