Broncos feature an up-and-coming junior class
WEEKLY BLOG: 8/9/20
Earlier this week, the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) announced the phasing back in of high school sports.
Football teams will be allowed to have their first practice on Labor Day (Sept. 7) with helmets. Pads follow a few practices later and the schedule is set to commence on Sept. 30 with freshman games followed in the next two days by JV and varsity.
The Oct. 2 start falls on what would have been Week 7 on the original schedule. It's also a three-week delay from the initial change that was made, which would have permitted official practices on Aug. 17 and games on Sept. 11. Many schools, particularly those in the Tucson area, have not been able to hold workouts throughout the summer (from their districts) and this new timetable will hopefully provide time for players to get practices in to be up to speed for the new schedule.
One of the schools in the Valley that was limited in what it has been able to do is Brophy College Preparatory. Under the previous timetable of a Sept. 11 start, the Broncos might have had to pass on football for the 2020 season. An additional three weeks buys some time that could have the team on board.
"I was happy," Brophy head coach Jason Jewell said. "It puts us on a better calendar to be able to play. It seems like the Phoenix schools forget about the other schools on the reservations and Tucson."
Here's a Q & A with AIA Executive Director David Hines following the announcement:
The COVID-19 pandemic shut down all of the offseason training at high schools around spring break in March. Brophy was able to do some conditioning in June for its incoming freshmen through seniors. This was done in Phase 1, which limits the number of players in a group to nine (plus one coach). No equipment is able to be used (including footballs). The Broncos had six groups going through a rotation which included drills such as hurdles and agility ladders.
About 90 percent of Brophy's players attend summer school, which was done online this year. A planned break for finals was taken near the July 4th holiday. The team went back to work on July 20 (still in Phase 1) with players meeting three days a week. Freshmen were separated on different days from the other classes as there is limited field space. In all, BCP has approximately 200 kids in their football program.
As far as having what can be considered as a "safe" football season this fall, Brophy (a private school) has its own medical advisory board. That group confers with the principal, athletic director, president, and coaches to determine what measures need to be taken and when it is acceptable to progress in phases.
So far, a dozen states have decided to move their football seasons to the spring of 2021. This list includes Western states of California, Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico. Jewell said he thinks it would be tough to move Arizona's season to the spring, but would be for it if it was the final option. Part of the reason for the reluctance is the encouragement of BCP for players to participate in multiple sports. Also, some of the football coaches also do double duty with winter or spring sports. Fields would also be an issue for practicing. Unlike many of the other schools in the Valley, Brophy fields both a lacrosse and a rugby team.
In his first season with the Broncos, Jewell led the team to an 8-3 record. This included a 7-0 start, which was bookended by victories over Liberty (the eventual 6A champ) and Hamilton (a future Open semifinalist). Brophy's defense held its opponents to 14 or fewer points in all eight of its wins.
Brophy threw for 207 yards per game last season and it returns quarterback EJ Warner. Warner's father, Kurt, is the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator (and a former Super Bowl champion). Last season, the Broncos played senior Matt Winter the first three series each game and then Warner would take the next two. This gave Warner a good amount of varsity experience. He was an extremely accurate passer (75 percent completions), going 61-of-81 with five touchdown passes. Winter signed with Western New Mexico in February.
"We rotated because I felt EJ earned it," Jewell said. "I thought they were both pretty even."
If Brophy opts not to rotate QBs this year, Warner could put up some impressive numbers, which means someone has to catch all those passes. The Broncos have Taj Hughes, who also plays safety. Hughes is Brophy's leading returner having grabbed 32 passes for 465 yards and five scores. He's also used on special teams to bring back kickoffs and punts.
"I think we have a good group of receivers," Jewell said. "Taj might be the smartest kid in terms of X's and O's."
As for the rest of that group, Andy Salome is 6-3 and 190 pounds. He recently received his first NAIA offer, has been getting some FCS attention in recruiting, and is a 4.0 student. Anthony Gonzales has a couple Division II offers and is versatile, playing as a defensive back as well. Jackson Camarata has several Division III offers, is a hurdler on the track team, and carries a 4.3 GPA. Blake Nguyen played on varsity last season. Finally, Andrew Cooper is 6-1, 185-pounds and comes over to football from track, where he may be the fastest player on the team. Tight end Tyler Powell is 6-7, 235 pounds, and has offers from Auburn and Iowa State.
There is a hole to be filled at running back as Brophy rushed for 108 yards per game last season with most of that coming from Andre Eden, who has graduated and will be playing at Bowdoin College in Maine. Myles Newble is the senior being asked to carry that torch. His junior year was cut short after just five games due to a broken foot. Others that could play a part in the backfield are junior Anthony Diaz, who played the position at the JV level (and is also a linebacker), and Damarcus Ellis-Dennard. Ellis-Dennard plays what the Broncos call a "stud-hybrid" position combining safety and linebacker.
One of the top players on defense is junior cornerback Ben Morrison. He already has offers from 10 Division I colleges (five from the Pac-12). Morrison had 42 tackles and a pair of interceptions last season. He comes from an athletic family as his father, Darryl, played at Arizona and in the NFL with Washington and his older brother, Sammy (also a CB), recently graduated from San Diego State.
"Only 165 pounds, but tough and long," Jewell said. "He's well-spoken, long, rangy, and smart."
The offensive line will have to do some retooling as center Mark Truziak is the lone returner. The group will have a new position coach as Jewell has hired Ryan McKim. McKim has experience at the college level with Iowa State and Oklahoma. His fiance, Brittany Lange, was recently hired on the women's basketball staff at Grand Canyon.
On the defensive side there is more experience up front. Junior Zac Swanson has been working out on his own and getting healthy after injuries limited him in his sophomore year. The 6-4, 240-pound defensive end has eight offers including Florida State, Michigan State, and Oregon. Jewell loves the motor of Will Bastman. The senior defensive end has an offer from Bowdoin, was second in the state as a sophomore in the decathlon, and totes a 4.0 GPA. Another Bronco that could be picking up some sacks is Jake Haddon (6-3, 200).
The future bodes well for BCP. It's a small senior class of about a dozen. There are approximately 55 juniors and 65 sophomores in the program. Jewell is expecting around 75 freshmen to fill those two teams and that number may get closer to 100. Several of the freshmen players last year also played on the basketball team. The coaches work together at Brophy to share the athletes instead of grooming specialized ones.
"My main goal has been to keep kids in the program while letting them play multiple sports," Jewell said.
Classes at Brophy will begin on Aug. 17 with distance learning and faculty doing the teaching from their classrooms. The school is targeting Sept. 8 with the option extended to the students to either continue virtually, or attend in person. When learning is taking place on campus, masks will be worn and the school is encouraging students to wear them when they're out with friends or in public.
When football begins, the Broncos will find themselves in a new region. Instead of being grouped with the Chandler District schools, Brophy will be in the 6A Region 1 with Centennial, Chaparral, Liberty, and Pinnacle. To say its a formidable region would be an understatement. Liberty captured its first 6A title last year while Centennial, Chaparral, and Pinnacle were all in the inaugural Open Division tournament (which is returning in 2020).
The kickoff on Oct. 2 will be the start of an eight-week season followed by an eight-team playoff bracket. There will be no bye weeks during the regular season or on Thanksgiving weekend. That would put the end of the season at Nov. 20 and championship weekend on Dec. 11-12.
Of course, everything now is on a week-to-week, or even a day-to-day basis. Those around the game should consider themselves fortunate that Arizona is going to try and give it a go as some of its neighbors aren't getting that opportunity this fall. In this new normal, there will likely be states that can limit cases, follow safety protocols, and keep staff and players healthy through proper hygiene. With 38 states attempting to give this a go, there could be some places where outbreaks occur and games (or maybe a season) could be canceled. The same is true for those states pushing football out to the spring. There are no guarantees that this virus will be any more under control in January as it is in August. So for those involved with the game, let's do our best in not only following guidelines, but in doing the right thing and if there is doubt, this is the year to err on the side of caution.
Stay safe, my friends.
