Mesa's Tre Brown becoming a star for Jackrabbits

Jun. 23—Tre Brown grew up waiting on the day he would be able to compete with his older stepbrothers.

He wanted to beat them in everything, including basketball where they excelled. As he grew older, he started to challenge them and set goals for himself to be a better athlete than they were. The wagers between the three of them were always friendly, and it pushed each one to be better as they went their respective ways in high school.

That competitive spirit has driven Brown to become who he is today, an all-around athlete for Mesa High's football team that deserves more attention from colleges than he has been give so far. He can do it all for the Jackrabbits.

"Tre is one of those kids that comes to work every day," Mesa coach Chad DeGrenier said. "He does all the little things that matter to a college or a Friday night game. The way he has taken his game to another level this off-season has been something to watch.

"I knew he was going to be really good, and he was our best guy. Get the best guy the ball. Get Steph Curry the ball. Get Tre the ball."

Brown and his brothers still argue to this day as to who is the better athlete of the three. They both make their arguments while Brown makes his. They have height on him, as he stands 5-foot-9. But he takes the metaphor, 'jumping out of the gym,' to a new level with a 38-inch vertical.

He watched as they navigated through their respective careers in the San Tan Valley and Queen Creek areas, where they attended Combs and Queen Creek high schools.

Brown recognized the hard work it would take to get through four years as a student-athlete in high school, especially at the 6A level where Mesa plays. He wanted to make an impact on the program during his career. He got started with that goal early on.

"I got that first taste of varsity football, and I knew it was different," Brown said. "I knew I had to work harder so I put in a bunch of work with my coaches and teammates. We became closer as a team."

As a sophomore, Brown saw his first varsity action. He was third in receiving yards that season with 295 on 25 receptions. He scored three times in seven games.

He knew when he entered his junior season, he would play a much bigger role alongside senior Josh Irish. But he didn't know it would be to the magnitude that it was.

Brown quickly became Mesa's top target in 2021. He built a connection with senior quarterback Cy Schmaltz that led to the two connecting 70 times throughout the 10-game season for 1,014 yards and 11 touchdowns. The catch to put him over the 1,000-yard mark came against district-rival Skyline on a slant and go route.

"I was excited to tell my mom, first," Brown said. "She was the one who sort of set that goal for me. She wanted me to go over 1,000. When I came back to the sideline, and they told me I was very excited, very happy."

Brown became the first Mesa receiver to eclipse 1,000 yards since 2018 when Eddie McClendon did it while playing both ways for the Jackrabbits. He is now at Adams State.

Players like McClendon, Schmaltz and Irish are those Brown has looked up to since starting his career at Mesa. They taught him how to lead, how to play at the varsity level and most importantly, what it means to be a Jackrabbit.

"When I was a younger guy on varsity I looked up to those older guys," Brown said. "Now that I'm the older guy, I want to be a leader. I always make sure I look out for them to get through it because I was in their position."

Now heading into his senior season, Brown has lofty expectations for himself. He wants to again eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. He wants to lead Mesa to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Most importantly, he wants to continue to impress college coaches.

Brown already holds and offer to Arizona Christian, an opportunity he is thankful for as it would allow him to stay close to home and play in front of family. During a spring showcase at Dobson High School, several coaches from various levels of college football stopped to see him run routes and catch passes.

He also had impressive showings at 7 on 7 tournaments across the Valley, including the Gotta Believe Athletic Club's high school championships at Mesa and Arizona State's tournament.

Brown is appreciative of the opportunity to play the game he loves, both at Mesa and at the next level. But he admits there is still more work to be done. Him and his team have goals for the fall 2022 season, and he is going to do whatever it takes to help them achieve them.

"I want to lead us to the playoffs. I want to do what it takes off the field in the classroom and on the field to get us to the playoffs," Brown said. "We haven't done it in a while. I want us to be the class that does."

Have an interesting story? Contact Zach Alvira at (480)898-5630 or zalvira@timespublications.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZachAlvira.