Ethan Gaines
ASU Student Journalist

Chandler Dominates Brophy in Big Rivalry Win

October 22, 2016 by Ethan Gaines, Arizona State University


Facing one of its biggest rivals, Chandler High demonstrated that it is ready to contend for another state championship.

The third-ranked Wolves routed Phoenix Brophy Prep 56-7 in a 6A Conference Section football game at home.

Chandler (7-2) put up big numbers early, scoring 35 points in the first quarter. On its first possession, Chandler senior running back TJ Green broke a slew of tackles on his way to a 65-yard touchdown run to put the Wolves up 7-0.

Green tallied his second score midway through the first quarter, spinning out of a tackle to punch in a one-yard touchdown, giving Chandler a 14-0 lead. Green felt that the team’s preparation in its bye week led to the big win.

“We are always pressing in practice,” Green said. “We are always going hard in practice and it transferred over to the game, so it worked out.”

Chandler was simply unstoppable in the first half, scoring on its first five possessions.

The Wolves biggest contributor was quarterback Jacob Conover. The sophomore only played in the first half due to the large lead, but he still went 19 for 21 for 312 yards and two touchdowns.

Chandler head coach Shaun Aguano said he was very impressed with his young quarterback’s performance.

“He’s still a sophomore and he’s learning,” Aguano said. “I think he put everything together. He’s a really bright guy and he got our athletes the ball. He’s doing a good job handling our offense.”

Without the presence of star senior running back Noah Pittenger, Brophy (7-3) struggled to get any offense going. The Broncos only gained 64 yards and one touchdown on the ground and that score didn’t come until midway through the fourth quarter.

Brophy was also hurt by turnovers, with three lost fumbles on the night.

Brophy head coach Scooter Molander was not pleased with his team’s third loss in a row, but he believes his team can turn it around if they get healthy again.

“We did not run the ball effectively tonight,” Molander said. “They loaded the box and we missed throws when we had opportunities down the field. Chandler is much improved over earlier in the season and if we can get healthy we will compete.”

Aguano was pleased with his team’s performance.

“[We’re] getting better and better and if we keep getting better we’re going to be hard to stop,” Aguano said. “That’s always a big rivalry especially in the town of Chandler. This is a big game for our seniors and we want to make sure we finish strong.”

 Chandler is riding a five-game win streak heading into its big rivalry game against Chandler Hamilton next week.