For ALA-West Foothills coach Chad Mitton, the transfer was an unexpected Christmas present in the summer.
For that player, defensive end/running back J.J. Brutus, moving across the Valley was a chance for a fresh start if his poor luck with injuries subsided.
Brutus did not play a game at Benjamin Franklin in Queen Creek, missing his freshman year with a hip injury and sophomore year with a hernia. Older brother Noah signed with OUAZ football before the 2022 season and the Brutus family decided to move to Surprise in 2023.
