Football Advances to 6A Conference Quarterfinals

11/12/2023

The Brophy football team posted a 35-7 win over No. 16 Mesa to advance to the AIA 6A Conference quarterfinals. Quarterback Charlie McGinnis rushed for two touchdowns and threw for one while running backs Harrison Chambers and Carlos Estrada added scoring runs.

“It was not always pretty, but we won and scored 35 points,” said Head Coach Jason Jewell, the Central Region Coach of the Year. “We have to fix some things, especially the penalties.”

The Broncos (9-2) scored the first touchdown midway into the first quarter as Harrison Chambers capped the scoring drive for a 7-0 lead. McGinnis ran in the first of two touchdowns in the second to push the lead to 14-0. He connected with sophomore Devin Fitzgerald for a 32-yard score, the first of his varsity career, for a 21-7 advantage at the half after a late score by Mesa.

“It was awesome to see Devin break through and the score was nice,” said Jewell.

McGinnis scored again with a rushing touchdown in the third for a 28-8 lead. Carlos Estrada finished off the game with a touchdown in the fourth.

Christian Camarata led the team with seven catches for 74 yards. Chambers finished with 12 rushes for 52 yards. The rushing attack amassed 161 yards on the ground, while McGinnis went 20-for-30 for 260 yards, the seventh 200-plus-yard game of the season.

Alex Salome, the Central Region Player of the Year, had nine tackles, while Mardale Rowe led the team with 11 tackles, including two sacks. He tied the Brophy career school record at 17.5 entering the quarterfinals.

The defense posted a shutout in the second half, holding the team to 58 yards rushing and 73 yards passing.

McGinnis is now fourth in school history in single-season passing yards at 2,341.

Brophy plays Casteel on Friday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at Central HS. The Broncos will be looking for their first semifinal appearance since 2014.

Tickets: https://gofan.co/event/1175423?schoolId=AZ12767

Mother’s Guild and Dad’s Club membership cards are NOT good for admission. We all must purchase a ticket for AIA playoff games.