Brophy 49
Dobson 19
By Henry Erlandson ’16
THE ROUNDUP
Brophy racked up seven touchdowns and handedly defeated Dobson 49-19 Oct. 24 at Dobson High School despite starting quarterback Cade Knox ’16 not playing because of an injury.
The Broncos juggled between quarterbacks Sean Roberton ’15 and Chad McClanahan ’16 all game, making it difficult for the Dobson Mustangs to counter Brophy’s offensive attack.
Running back Ryan Velez ’16 had three rushing touchdowns and hurt Dobson on the ground all night, amassing 165 yards in the game.
The game started with Brophy receiving the opening kickoff from Dobson.
After a long first drive, Velez found the end zone on a two-yard carry with 8:28 left in the first quarter.
On Dobson’s first possession, cornerback Isaiah Oliver ’15 intercepted a pass with 7:48 left in the first quarter. The turnover resulted in a 40-yard rush for a touchdown by Noah Pittenger ’17, giving Brophy a 14-0 lead.
Dobson would respond with an efficient drive that resulted in a touchdown with 11:04 left in the second quarter, making the score 14-6 after Oliver blocked the extra point kick.
With 9:06 left in the first half, Roberton connected with Oliver on a 70-yard touchdown pass, giving the Broncos a widening lead of 21-6 after Streator Bates ’15 completed the extra point kick.
Bates made all seven extra point attempts for the Broncos.
The later half of the second quarter was a back-and-forth battle, as Velez had a 61-yard and 46-yard touchdown, which was countered by a Dobson rushing touchdown, making the score 35-13 Brophy going in to the locker room.
“We needed to make sure we were taking care of our gaps and using our hands a little better, playing lower,” said head coach Mr. Scooter Molander. “Coach Galante is a great defensive coordinator so that’s not going to happen very long.”
Brophy started the second half on defense and continued to stop the Dobson offense, which was mainly centered on running the ball. They kept Dobson scoreless in the third quarter.
Brophy eventually scored on a 25-yard pass from Roberton to Oliver, giving Brophy a 42-13 lead with 8:28 left in the third quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Brophy recovered the ball, and on an almost identical play to the last score, McClanahan found Oliver on 26-yard pass for a touchdown, giving Brophy a 49-13 lead.
This was Oliver’s third touchdown pass of the night, who led all receivers in yards and touchdowns in the game, with over 160 receiving yards.
“I told them (McClanahan and Roberton) going in that I am not going to have special plays for either one of those guys,” Molander said. “I expect each of them to be able to do everything we ask them to do, and first time out, both of them played really well.”
Both quarterbacks threw for over 90 yards and at least a touchdown, and Roberton had the 70-yard pass to Oliver for a touchdown.
After a series of empty possessions towards the end of the third quarter, Brophy’s Pittenger converted a key fourth and 12 on a 27-yard run to start the fourth quarter, putting them at the opponent’s 2-yard line.
Brophy fumbled on a run play at the 1-yard line but quickly got the ball back after recovering a Dobson fumble.
On a throw to the endzone, Dobson intercepted the pass and would eventually score a touchdown with 2:33 left in the game.
The game ended after Brophy recovered Dobson’s onside kick and ran the clock out, giving them a victory over Dobson with a score of 49-19.
This marks Brophy’s sixth straight win. The team looks to continue to keep that streak alive next Friday, when the play a 3-6 Desert Vista team Oct. 31 at home.
