By Carter Sampson
Our football team is kind of weird. They like squeaky pigs and finger puppets. Practices ring with calls of “HEYO ED!” and “PHAT GENO!” They have mating calls and strange nicknames. And yet despite these oddities, or maybe because of them, the Knights have marched through the first part of the season with huge success.
It started with a 47-15 thrashing of Valley Christian, which proved TPA was just as dominant as ever. That was the first victory for new coach Josh Brittain. Quarterback Max Rich attributes Coach Brittain’s early success to “Not changing the tradition or culture already built in to our program.” Coach Brittain and his staff have kept what made Tempe Prep great while bringing a more aggressive look to the playbook.
The team then moved on to a close game with Round Valley, currently number one in the division. After leading in the first half, the Knights lost by two touchdowns. In this game, Tempe Prep proved that it could finally pass, something that hasn’t been part of the game plan since the school started. Quarterback Max Rich spread out the field and passed for 173 yards and a touchdown, giving the offense the boost it needed to stay in the game.
After smacking Glendale Prep 50-0, the Knights came into a huge game against the second ranked team in the division, Scottsdale Christian. With a new quarterback and solid passing game, Scottsdale was certain to provide a challenging game. After a first half crippled by penalties, the Knights were tied 7-7 with the Eagles. In the second half, the offenses traded touchdowns until Joe Swingle’s end zone interception and Ahmad Jones’ four touchdowns proved too much for Scottsdale.
In the fourth quarter, the Knights walked all over the Eagles, running out the clock and just beating them with plain physicality. As Swingle said, “The only thing better than absolutely dominating someone who can’t defend themselves is completely robbing someone of hope, and that’s what we did when we pulled away from Scottsdale.”
These Knights with their strange inside jokes have proved themselves as a force to be reckoned with. They look forward to continuing their success, and plan on winning out the regular season. The unofficial motto for the team so far has been “Bagging Bodies,” and the Knights are clearly playing with that type of ferocity in their hearts.
Click here to read Arizona Republic feature on Tempe Prep head football coach Josh Brittain.
