Trey Matthews is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Brophy for AZPreps365.com

The Brophy swim team extended its winning streak to four meets on Thursday as the Broncos defeated the Highland Hawks, 145-41, at Greenfield Junior High School. Despite the huge victory, the Broncos still had to endure a lot of adversity due to the pool’s substandard condition. 

Going into the match, Brophy Coach Daren Brubaker was well aware of some of the challenges that awaited his team. 

“Obviously, these are not ideal conditions,” Brubaker said. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is. The blocks are wobbly, we’ll get it done. The pools are missing a couple of lane lines, we’ll get it done. I just want to make sure that they keep going, just keep up with the effort, and not think about the outside things that we cannot control.” 

Not having a warm-down area plays a huge factor during a swim meet because they serve as a place for the swimmers to warm down after competing in an event. That way they’re better-equipped both physically and mentally for the next race and it prevents injuries.

Despite the issues, the Broncos maintained their composure. They won all three relay races and finished first in every individual event. Senior Jake Herrera was able to place first in the 200 individual medley event and knew how to maintain himself despite the pool’s less-than-ideal conditions. 

“The main thing is just taking care of our bodies,” Herrera said. “Because after every race, you just got to make sure that you’re not letting lactic acid buildup. So, you have to drink some water, eat some food, fuel up, and just be ready.” 

Even though this swim meet was somewhat excruciating for the Broncos, Brubaker still wanted to give his freshmen swimmers a chance. So that way they could prove themselves in order to build up their confidence. 

“These guys kick themselves all the time,” Brubaker said. “They want to have the best times. But you got to be realistic, working on the small things. For one of our individuals, I put him in something that he hasn’t done in a while. He dropped two seconds in his 50 free…it became contagious. Then the others start to build on that.” 

Brubaker was referring to freshman Grady Garbarino. Despite a fourth-place finish during the 50 freestyle event, Garbarino was able to post his career-best time. He wasn’t the only one to do so. Fellow freshmen James Wood and Benjamin Edwards (both 100 backstroke participants), were able to do the same. 

There were a couple of other standout performances from freshmen. Asher Gomez (100 fly) and Mark Heffern (500 freestyle) (CQ) placed first in their events. 

“It feels really nice to get first,” Gomez said. “It shows all of the work that I’ve been putting in. My coach has been doing an amazing job coaching me and pushing me to my limits.”

The Broncos (4-0) demonstrated how adaptable their team can be. They will look to assert themselves once again on Friday’s 33rd annual Brophy/Xavier Swimming & Diving Invitational. The two-day event is set to start at 8 a.m. and it will take place at their home pool. 

As for Highland, they will look to redeem themselves on Thursday, Oct.13, when they host Corona del Sol  at 3:30 p.m.