By Mark McKenna, Herald staff writer

PROSSER -- Cody Bruns is a numbers kind of guy.

The junior wide receiver has 97 receptions for 1,697 yards and 25 touchdowns this season for the top-ranked Prosser Mustangs. No, not those numbers. Bruns is not too keen on talking about individual accomplishments. The numbers Bruns cherishes most are the ones that cover his jerseys -- No. 24 for basketball and No. 7 for football. He wears 24 because that's the number his father, Buck, sported while leading the Mustangs to the 1967 state basketball title.

Buck, who stands at the top of the class in Prosser athletic lore, also quarterbacked the Mustangs to the 1968 state football championship, a title awarded by the state's sports writers because there was no postseason back in the day. Buck later starred in both sports at Yakima Valley College and ended up at the University of Idaho, where he started for two seasons as a defensive back.

Now, back to Cody. The reason he picked No. 7 is in honor of a player everybody knows about -- Michael Vick. But the combination of the two numbers is the main reason why Cody chose them. "It reminds me that I'm an athlete 24/7 -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," Bruns said with a laugh. Prosser coach Tom Moore and the rest of the Mustangs can attest to that fact.

"He's just a great athlete, simple as that," said Moore, whose Mustangs (11-0) plays Archbishop Murphy (11-0) at 12:30 p.m. today in a 2A state quarterfinal game at Lampson Stadium. Kellen Moore, the Mustangs' record-shattering senior quarterback, called Bruns the best overall athlete on the team.

"He can do it all," Kellen said of his 5-foot-11, 165-pound teammate. "Just get the ball in his hands and he'll make something big happen. He's electric." The Moore-to-Bruns connection is one that has driven opposing defenses crazy since Bruns became a regular in the Mustangs' high-flying offense at the end of his freshman season.

His breakout game came in 2004 against Timberline -- which featured future University of Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart -- in a first-round 3A state playoff game. Bruns caught four passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns as the Mustangs gave the Blazers a scare before falling 42-35.

"I was on the sidelines during the first quarter and the coaches yelled my name," Bruns said. "I was a little nervous, but then I got into the flow and didn't think about being a freshman playing in a big game. It was tough to lose, but it was a game I'll always remember." Another game Bruns will never forget is Prosser's state quarterfinal game against Bellevue last season at Lampson Stadium. It was memorable, obviously, because the Mustangs beat the three-time defending state champs 38-35.

Unfortunately, it also was a game in which Bruns tore ligaments in his left ankle, forcing him to miss the Mustangs' state semifinal victory over Rainier Beach and a trip to the state championship game. "That wasn't easy," Bruns said of watching his team lose the title to Ferndale 47-12, knowing there was nothing he could do to help. The injury also forced Bruns to miss all but the final three games of the basketball season. Bruns started at point guard as a freshman and was expected to be a key player in coach Joe Prior's up-and-coming program.

"I love playing basketball, too," Bruns said. "The injury took a lot of time to heal, and even when I came back at the end of the season I wasn't 100 percent. But I feel great now." It definitely shows. Bruns now owns state records for single-season receiving yards and touchdown receptions, and his total of 50 career TD catches also is a state record.

And don't be surprised next season if Bruns adds a few touchdown passes to the record book. Moore said there's a strong possibility Bruns could be the team's starting quarterback next season or at least take some snaps behind center. "I think playing quarterback as a senior would be a perfect way to end my career," Bruns said.

His high school career, that is. Bruns, who carries a 3.5 grade point average with a schedule that includes college prep courses, is drawing interest from several colleges. Boise State, where Kellen Moore will play next season, would like to reunite the duo for a few more years. "That would be a lot of fun," Bruns said. "But I'm trying not to concentrate on all the college stuff. I still have a lot of football to play here." Bruns' immediate goal is to help the Mustangs, regarded by many as the best team in the state regardless of classification, sweep through the playoffs. That would give them a 14-0 record and the fifth state championship in school history.

Now those are numbers Mr. 24/7 would really like to see in the record books