The Brophy Broncos, after a stellar 8-2 record in the regular season, have been eliminated from the playoffs by Mountain View, an opponent they defeated earlier in the season.  The final score was 35-19, a hard-fought game for the Broncos. In the end, Mountain View made more plays than the Broncos. 

The Mountain View Toros finished the game on a 21-0 run, after the Broncos had cut the gap to 14-12 to begin the second half. Senior running back Deshaun Jackson started this barrage with a 72-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. The Toros did not look back as they were moving on all cylinders in the second half. 

The Broncos, who had very few turnovers all season, had four turnovers in this game. Their defense did force three turnovers themselves, but were only able to capitalize with a score once after those turnovers. The Toros were able to score three of the four times they forced a turnover. 

“I give it up to Mountain View, they played a great game tonight and they came out ready to go and we didn’t,” said first-year head coach Jason Jewell. 

The Broncos had momentum on their side in the third quarter, when they scored a touchdown on the possession of the second half. The defense was doing its job as well. They forced two straight turnovers, a fumble and an interception by senior Trevor Klein. However, after multiple empty possessions by the Broncos and an onslaught by the Toros’ running attack, the game was out of reach midway through the fourth quarter. 

For the 30 seniors on the team, this was a hard pill to swallow. After starting their senior season 7-0 and earning the second seed in the 6A playoffs, their season ended in bitter defeat in the first round. 

“I’m proud of them but I’m ashamed about how we went them out, it’s not fair to them, we played poorly tonight,” said Jewell.  

There was some positives in this game for Brophy, however. They did force three turnovers and had three sacks and several tackles for loss early in the game. Senior Quarterback Matthew Winter finished with two touchdowns and an interception. He did connect for a touchdown to his favorite target, senior wide receiver Ryan Mehio, one last time on the final possession of the game -- a memorable touchdown for the two seniors despite the loss.

Senior running back Andre Eden also had a touchdown, adding to his impressive total this season. The offensive line created lanes for him to run all night.

Although their season ended with a loss, the bond these seniors shared on and off the field is unbreakable.

”It feels nice to be top dog but at the same time it’s sad to leave all your friends behind,” said senior offensive linemen Andrew Milek, who has committed to the University of Southern California.

The Broncos were not expected to be in this position this season. After all the coaching turnover the past three seasons, few would have predicted Brophy to be the second seed in the 6A bracket. This is only the start for a football program heading in a great direction. 

“It’s sad it has to end this way, but it was a great experience and we fought hard,” said Eden.