The boys of Brophy Prep are back again. There is absolutely no way to talk about the state’s biggest conference or division without mentioning the Broncos. Actually, the numbers speak for themselves: 38 state championships; 28 championships in a row; 36 of the last 37 and seven runner-up finishes.

Head coach Pat O’Neill is responsible for the last ten titles, it’s a streak that includes 27 individual champions and 23 championship relays. One of those champions is senior Jack Blake.

Specializing in sprints, Blake won the 100 Free last year and came in second in the 50 Free. He was also part of the runner-up 200 Medley Relay team for the Broncos. He saw limited action on the awards stand last year but the Alabama commit should be sporting all sorts of medals this year.

Blake holds the best Division I time this fall in the 50 Free (20.22),100 Free (45.76), 200 Free (1:41.50) and he is the anchor for three of the fastest relays in Arizona: 200 Medley Relay with Alexander Gomez, Patrick Schramm, and Michael Niezgodzki (1:36.98); 200 Free Relay with A.J. Frakes, Parker Hughes and Sean Gage (1:25.18) and the 400 Free Relay with A.J. Frakes, Parker Hughes and Michael Niezgodzki (3:08.05).

Even more, Blake was part of the 2014 state record-breaking 400 Free Relay team (3:03.93) but that’s not the only record he has been a part of. His time of 20.22 in the 50 Free broke a school record that legendary Gary Hall, Jr. set in 1992.

Blake spent part of his summer at the Olympic Team Trials in July and will be spending part of next summer preparing for his move to Alabama.

Brophy won the Division I state championship last year with 302 points even though Blake was the only individual champion. That fact supports the case for O’Neill’s ability to field a full team of swimmers in almost every event.

Blake holds the best time in six of the eleven events competed at state and his teammate Patrick Schramm owns the fastest time in the 100 Breast (58.18), but the team also has 15 swimmers near the top in all events except for the 100 Back. That’s how a program wins championship after championship.

Swimmers from other programs to watch for:

Chandler junior Jerry Yang and Rincon/University senior Erik Orr in the 200 Free.

Chandler junior Michael Klauss and Horizon senior Cameron Heidenreich in the 200 Individual Medley

Boulder Creek senior Ray Van Duesen and Mesa Mountain View senior Luke Lyons in 50 Free.

Klauss and Lyons in the 100 Fly.

Desert Vista senior Joshua Vedder and Orr in the 100 Free.

Pinnacle senior Aaron Apel and Yang in the 500 Free.

Vedder and Klauss in the 100 Back.

Desert Vista senior Aaron Beauchamp and Heidenreich in the 100 Breast.

Chaparral, along with multiple state record holder Ryan Hoffer, is competing in Division II this year as is Catalina Foothills and their standout swimmer Brooks Fail. Hoffer is headed to California Berkeley and Fail will be swimming for the University of Arizona.