In 5 minutes and 41 seconds of the second quarter, Hamilton High School turned a close game into a lopsided affair.
Led by a collection of highly sought after recruits, then-No. 3 Hamilton rolled over visiting No. 5 Brophy Prep 70-33 Friday to stake its claim as one of the top football teams in the state.
“You know, we wanted to set the tone that we wanted to let everybody know that we’re the best team and backfield in Arizona,” Huskies running back Jacob Brown said. “I think we’re going to continue to prove it every Friday night.”
The game was highly anticipated. Both teams feature multiple athletes expected to play at the Division I level.
Hamilton showcases three-star recruits Niko and Beau Jandreau, who are headed to Oklahoma, and three-star recruit Rex Waterman, who is going to Nebraska. Brophy’s lineup includes three-star recruit Devin Fitzgerald, who committed to Notre Dame, and three-star recruit Daylen Sharper, who is going to Stanford.
Heading into the matchup, the Huskies and Broncos put in significant time to prepare for their opponents.
“Just be disciplined and sacrifice for your brother,” Hamilton coach Travis Dixon said. “Just stay relentless at what we’re doing and play for one another. We always talk about it, a style that no one wants to play.”
The game began as a defensive battle. Halfway through the first, Brophy kicked a 23-yard field goal. On the next drive for Hamilton, senior running back Jacob Brown rushed 13 yards for a touchdown to give the Huskies a 6-3 lead heading into the second quarter.
Brophy answered as senior quarterback Case Vanden Bosch connected with senior receiver Fitzgerald on a 64-yard passing touchdown to give the Broncos a 10-6 lead.
Hamilton answered with its own passing touchdown as sophomore quarterback Jax Sculley found sophomore receiver Roye Oliver III. A successful two-point conversion from junior running back Skyler Cole gave the Huskies a 14-10 lead.
The Huskies settled in early in the second quarter and didn’t look back. Hamilton forced multiple turnovers and turned those turnovers into touchdowns. Up until this point, the game felt even, but craziness ensued late in the first half and the game turned upside down in favor of the Huskies.
Hamilton extended its lead with two more touchdowns with a receiving and a punt return touchdown from Roye Oliver III to take a 35-10 lead late in the second quarter. With less than two minutes in the half, Hamilton blocked Brophy’s punt to get in good scoring position, and the Huskies capped it off with a one-yard rushing touchdown from Jax Sculley to take a 42-10 lead into the half.
“They had six in the box, and I know that our six were better than their six,” Sculley said. “They kept trying to guard the pass, so all we had to do was run the ball.”
Coming out of the half, Brophy got off to a hot start with an early interception that led to a one-yard rushing touchdown from senior running back Grayden Marquis and a successful two-point conversion from Vanden Bosch to make the score 42-18.
Hamilton responded as Sculley connected with freshman receiver Roman Oliver for a 66-yard passing touchdown to give the Huskies a 49-18 lead. Brophy came back with an interception from junior cornerback Ryder Noche and capped it off with a 13-yard passing touchdown to Fitzgerald for his second of three touchdown catches to make the score 49-25.
Hamilton never took its foot off the gas.
Hamilton and Brophy had multiple players with star-studded performances. Hamilton’s Jacob Brown finished with 130 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Brophy’s Fitzgerald had 14 receptions, 234 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Heading into week five, the now-No. 2 Hamilton Huskies will look to continue their hot start as they host the Centennial Coyotes, and the No. 7 Brophy Broncos look to bounce back as they’ll host the Red Mountain Mountain Lions.
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