Photos from the Brus Family & Carlo Montalbo.
To view more action shots of Montalbo, please visit his site at https://i4pix.smugmug.com/Sports
Football:
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
Glendora’s Braydon Brus has decided where he’s going to play college football.
In a Monday night phone interview, the soon-to-be GHS senior said he narrowed his list to six schools, which included UCLA, Northwestern, Cal, Washington State, Colorado and Boise State.
And his decision?
Brus will join Pat Fitzgerald’s Northwestern Wildcats in 2022 and pursue a degree in business.
Brus isn’t just a great athlete, he also carries a weighted GPA of 4.18.
In the five-games of the 2021 spring season, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Brus showcased himself as one of the San Gabriel Valley’s most elite and versatile athletes.
GHS went 4-1, and Brus played a huge role at both running back and linebacker.
He led the Tartans defense with 58 tackles, and collected two sacks and an interception.
Brus carried the ball 62 times for 491 yards and scored eight rushing TD’s.
He also caught seven passes for 122 yards.
So, why Northwestern?
“There are a lot of reasons why I chose Northwestern, but it all starts with their academics being ranked in the top 10 in the nation,” Brus said. “I also have so much respect for Coach Fitzgerald, his staff and the program. It really impressed me how much he emphasized his commitment to making sure his players graduated. He’s also the head of the ethics committee for the NCAA.”
Brus is right.
Northwestern is ranked No. 9 academically in the nation and Fitzgerald graduates 99-percent of his players.
Brus was recruited as an inside linebacker, which is a position he’s dominated at over his sophomore and junior seasons.
When asked about the cold weather and his chances of getting some playing time during the fall of 2022, Brus said, “I actually lived in Michigan for the first part of my life and the cold doesn’t bother me. They told me that everyone has the same opportunity to earn playing time, and I intend to come in, work as hard as I can, and start contributing right away.”
For those that don’t know Braydon, he comes from a family of fit athletes.
His uncle, Rich Froning, earned the title of “Fittest Man on Earth,” in 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014, which no one had ever accomplished.
At the age of seven, Brus visited his uncle and was really impressed with what he saw.
So, Braydon and his parents, Ben & Mary Brus, took up Crossfit and it’s part of the reason he’s so strong, agile and fit.
He started taking it seriously at age seven in a Crossfit kids class.
In the sixth grade, Brus was doing strength and conditioning and a year later, for his birthday, Braydon went to visit his uncle in Tennessee to see how he and his team trained.
A couple years later, he was able to compete against 3,000 competitors, aged 14-15.
The top 200 kids got to do an online qualifier.
Brus would go on to finish fourth in Madison, Wisconsin.
It’s that commitment to strength and conditioning that explains why Brus seems to separate himself from the pack, especially late in games.
And it’s not just Braydon, his parents and uncle that are athletic.
He has two sisters (Isabelle & Brooklyn), one used to be a swimmer and the other did gymnastics.
Noah Brus is just 10, but considering his genes, it would seem the sky is the limit for the youngest of four.
He said his work ethic, values and character are a direct result of watching his parents example as well as the way Ben and Mary Brus have raised their four children.
As excited as Brus is to have his collegiate destination signed, sealed and delivered, he’s also ‘stoked’ that in less than three months, he and his boys at GHS will be back on the field and playing games.
“I wouldn’t be in this position without my coaches and teammates pushing me to be the best player I can,” Brus said. “I am very confident that we can make a deep run in the playoffs and hopefully earn a ring.”
Braydon Brus Career Football Stats at GHS:
2021: Offense: 62 carries for 491 yards 8 TD’s, 7 catches for 122. Defense: 58 tackles, 2 sacks, one INT
2019: Offense: 25-241, TD, 3 catches, 46 yards. Defense: 79 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one INT
Getting to Know Braydon Brus:
Favorite athlete: Christian McCaffrey
Favorite sports team: Detroit Lions
Favorite movie: The Other Guys & Inglorious Basterds
Favorite restaurant: La Tolteca
Person (alive or dead) he’d most want to talk to: Jesus Christ
To view a photo gallery of Brus, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
Girls Water Polo: West Covina is one victory away today from having a four-win week. The Bulldogs have defeated La Mirada (15-13), Pasadena (10-5) and Cerritos (15-4) on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Deneli Salazar continued her dominant week with eight goals. Meagan Harris chipped in with three goals. Marisa Lemus had quite the game […]
Girls Basketball: La Salle improved to 2-0 after its 52-26 victory at Keppel. The Lancers pulled away in the second quarter after outscoring the Aztecs, 15-0. Aislin Tamez Torres had a game-high 18 points. Casey Higgins chipped in with 14 points. Kaden Cortes and Julianne Tan provided six points apiece in Thursday’s win. Alyssa Canizal […]
Photo by Underrated Media Girls Basketball: Los Osos and Flintridge Prep met up Thursday night at the Bonita Tip-Off challenge. The win would earn a spot in Saturday’s title game. And it was the Wolves that secured a championship game appearance with a 52-45 victory over the Grizzlies. Maddie Smith had a game-high 19 points […]
Girls Water Polo: West Covina picked up their third victory of the 2024-25 season in four tries. After a 9-2 loss to San Dimas in the season opener, the Bulldogs have now defeated Monrovia (17-13), La Mirada (15-13) and Pasadena (10-5). Deneli Salazar led the charge with five goals and four steals, continuing her streak […]
Girls Basketball: It’s unusual for a game to be considered ‘over’ after eight minutes of play. However, politically correct or not, Glendora put Anaheim away with a 22-0 first quarter. The Tartans cruised to a 57-26 victory at the La Mirada Tournament. Reagan (“Ronnie”) Herrmann had a game-high 17 points. Kamryn Kuo led both teams […]
Photo by Angeline Sabillon-Cifuentes Boys Soccer: The Marshall Fundamental soccer program scored two first-half goals on Wednesday at La Canada. The Spartans scored a second-half goal, and both programs had to settle for a 2-2 tie. Giovanni Retana had an unassisted goal for the Eagles. Justin Lopez-Perez scored off an assist from Retana. Angel Capistran […]
Boys Basketball: Damien is off to a great start in the 2024-25 season. The Spartans have now defeated Troy (80-41), Ontario Christian (68-39) and Villa Park (70-42) at the Sunny Hills Tournament by a combined margin of 218-122. DHS had a 38-19 lead at the half. Nate Garcia had a game-high 21 points. Jayden Avina […]
Photo by Underrated Media Girls Basketball: Flintridge Prep jumped on Claremont early, and the Wolfpack weren’t able to mount much of a challenge. The Wolves had a 20-3 lead after the first eight minutes, and they cruised to a 69-35 victory in the second round of the Bonita Tournament. Maddie Smith and Megan Quoch led […]
Girls Water Polo: Los Osos opened their 2024-25 season with an impressive 9-4 victory at San Dimas. The Grizzlies took a 6-0 lead into the half, and they never trailed. Teresa Shirley led the way with three goals and one block. Alex Frank chipped in with two goals, one assist and six steals. Maddie White […]
