Joana Cano is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Brophy College Preparatory for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX — Since Brophy College Preparatory opened in 1928, sports have become a major emphasis at the school.

Over the years, sports participation has changed at Brophy, which offers archery, track and field, football, hockey, rowing, basketball, soccer, wrestling, baseball and tennis.

Broph’s sports information director, Steve Shaff, said that there are 19 sports offered at Brophy, with 13 of them being sanctioned by the Arizona Interscholastic Association. Out of those 19 sports, there are 43 teams ranging from freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams.

“Football is one of our bigger sports; we have 150 kids in the freshman program,” Shaff said. “Between the junior varsity and the varsity teams we have over 300 kids that play football each year.”

Lacrosse is another popular sport at Brophy, with more than 100 students participating during the spring. Track and field has also grown throughout the years, with more than 150 students enrolled this spring.

“One of our proudest talking points about our school is the success our students have,” Shaff said. “I think it’s a major driving point for students who want to come to school here and compete under our Brophy name.”

Baseball catcher Jonah Castle said he moved states just to attend Brophy and for the challenge. He got interested in baseball because of the culture and the challenging environment.

“I wanted to get better,” Castle said. “Brophy was the place that was going to push me.”

Castle is now committed to Saint Mary’s College and will continue his baseball career this fall.

The growth in high school sports has shifted, and at Brophy, it is a welcome change.

“Watching high school sports grow in popularity and exposure, you know see the top high school programs on ESPN,” Shaff said. “You didn’t used to see that, and the popularity of college sports has also increased.”

Castle said that baseball has changed over time with the techniques used and how the game is played. 

“The strategies used to play the game today are different than 20 years ago,” Castle said.

With more than 1,100 students enrolled in different types of sports, Brophy has achieved various championships throughout the years. 

The rowing team won a state title in March, and the swimming and diving team won its 44th state title in November.

The class of 2025 had 37 students committed to Ivy Leagues, which according to Shaff, is a lot for a single senior class.

Aerial view of Brophy in 1928. (courtesy: Brophy website)

Brophy College Preparatory was opened in 1928 by Mrs. William Henry Brophy in honor of her late husband. According to the Brophy website, the plan was for a Jesuit college, but it was going to start as a high school, then feed into a college. 

Brophy’s website says it is  the only Jesuit high school in Arizona and that it orients young men to a life of service as Men for Others. The school was one of the first private Catholic schools in the state. 

According to a staff writer from 12News, some critics were concerned that the school was very far from the city center; but now Brophy is considered to be in Uptown Phoenix.