Two years ago, a core of sophomore’s came together on the Brophy varsity team and took their licks in a season where the team just finished 6-6. Fast forward to today and Tyler Bruggman, Devon Allen, Robert Relf and Andrew Curtis are seniors and are a part of the core that has Bronco nation excited about 2012.
Brophy Bronco’s 2012 Schedule:
8/22 – @ Mountain Ridge
8/25 – V Santa Margarita, CA (ESPN 2 telecast)
8/31 – @ Boulder Creek
9/7 – V Red Mountain
9/14 – @ Sandra Day O’Connor
9/21 – V North Canyon
9/28 – V Mountain Pointe
10/5 – @ Westview
10/12 – @ St. Mary’s
10/19 – V Westwood
10/26 – V Pinnacle
“A lot of these guys have been together on varsity for three years,” said Brophy Head Coach Scooter Molander. “They really know one another. The biggest key will be them playing for one another and stick to the Brophy Bronco way.”
In total, Brophy is returning 12 starters led by quarterback Tyler Bruggman who announced over the summer that he is going to be playing for Mike Leach and Washington State in 2013. Bruggman, who has said to be the top quarterback in Arizona, has a dynamic receiver in Devon Allen to throw too. Allen is one of the fastest athletes the state has ever seen and took that all-state speed and made it all-world speed after competing in international meets over the summer. The two together will be a forced to be reckoned with this year.
“They will certainly be missed, that’s for sure,” explained Molander of Bruggman and Allen. “The good news is we get to work with them for the next three and a half months. They have done a real nice job in the off-season, and we are looking forward to the season.”
On defense, the Broncos return a duo that is just as impressive as Bruggman and Allen. Linebackers Robert Relf and Andrew Curtis have also been on varsity since they were sophomores. The two along with defensive tackles Dominic Riccitelli and CJ Slater make up one of the most powerful front seven’s in the state.
“Communication, working together, understanding truly that if you do your job, the guy next to you will do his,” mentioned Molander. “That’s the great thing about football. You can have a tremendously talented team. You can have a team with average talent. When a team with talent doesn’t want to work, that average team will win every time.”
Brophy kicks off their 2012 season on the road against Mountain Ridge on August 22.
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Jared Cohen
A born and bred Arizonan, Jared has had great passion for the hometown teams all his life. He now channel's that passion into covering the pro, college and high school teams around the state as a Multimedia Reporter for Sports360AZ.