For the first time in 12 years, the Trevor G. Browne Bruins are a winning football team.
Under second-year head coach Francisco Rangel, TGB has emerged as a legitimate threat to win the 6A Desert Southwest section, and Westside has not been shy about supporting its Bruins during their impressive run.
“There’s been a lot of positive momentum from the football team,” Athletic Director David Provost said. “They have such a buzz around them now that we’re getting kids that normally won’t come out to come out. We’re getting kids who missed a year to come back out and give it another try. It definitely is a buzz for the campus.”
Provost, who has worked at Trevor G. Browne for 14 years, says that the football team’s success has permeated throughout the school, and he has noticed a marked increase in alumni involvement since the team began to win consistently.
“The program has been down and up a little bit,” he said. “Now they’re starting to see that the culture has come together, they’re starting to see the kids gel, they’re starting to see a difference in their kids at home. The community wants this. Right now, our alumni are buying all the team meals. They want to be involved.”
Despite losing in a 47-33 shootout to North on Friday, TGB still has a fighting chance to make the playoffs at 6-2. The Bruins will meet Tolleson in a potentially section-deciding matchup next week, and a win would greatly improve their odds of playing postseason football for the first time since 2009.
