Bishop Gorman football seeks to end ‘mission’ with another state title
Bishop Gorman’s offense has scored using a variety of different skill position players this season.
But there’s been one constant with the Gaels that has been hard for any opponent to match up with: Its offensive line, which is one of the best in the country.
“Usually a quarterback has two, three seconds and they got to scramble,” Gorman quarterback Maika Eugenio said. “I can sit back there all day and just wait and that just speaks to how great they are.”
The Gaels’ offensive line has been the anchor for an offense that’s featured several new faces this year. It’s helped the team dominate opponents and reach another state championship game.
The Gaels (10-1) face Arbor View (10-1) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Allegiant Stadium for the Class 5A Division I state title. It’s the finale of a four-game slate of state title contests at the venue. The action kicks off at 9 a.m. with the 1A championship game. Six of the eight teams playing are from Southern Nevada.
Even though Gorman doesn’t have a dominant skill position player, it’s still been productive on offense. The Gaels are averaging 45.8 points and 411.8 yards per game.
Fifteen players have scored touchdowns for the Gaels this season and four different players have thrown a touchdown pass.
“That’s the hardest thing, if I were to prepare against us, is you don’t know what we’re going to do,” Gorman coach Brent Browner said. “They’ve put a lot of work in. They can run, pass, do either one. It starts up front with the o-line. They’ve been the anchor for the offense and they take it to the defense.”
‘Will do anything’
All five of Gorman’s starting offensive linemen are committed to Division I schools. Headlining the stellar group of seniors are four-star recruits SJ Alofaituli, Doug Utu and Alai Kalaniuvalu. Alofaituli is committed to Miami (Florida), while Utu is committed to Oregon and Kalaniuvalu is committed to BYU.
“The connections we’ve made with the whole team, we just will do anything for our brothers,” Alofaituli said. “They’re the type of people you want to be on the field at the end of the day.”
The group’s selfless mentality has helped running backs Terrance Grant Jr., Myles Norman and Jonathan Coar establish Gorman’s ground attack. The Gaels have rushed for at least 150 yards in nine games.
It’s also helped Eugenio get comfortable under center. The junior stepped into the starting role in Gorman’s 55-28 win against Orange Lutheran (California) on Sept. 13 after Melvin Spicer IV went down with an injury. Eugenio has completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 26 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
“I got to be a leader. I’m like another coach out there,” Eugenio said. “If someone doesn’t know the plays, I got make sure they know it before the ball snaps so we can execute that play. I just learned that you got to make the right decisions.”
Browner credited Eugenio for sticking it out and staying ready.
“To watch him flourish and watch him come out of his comfort zone has been impressive,” Browner said.
Stellar defense
Gorman’s defense has been just as impressive. The Gaels have held opponents to under 10 points in seven games and have five shutouts.
“Last year, it was all (offensive) returners. This year’s all defense,” Browner said. “Having a group for that long, the biggest thing is how much they’ve developed in over one year and how much they are so prepared.”
Several juniors have stepped up to lead Gorman’s defense. Defensive lineman Prince Williams leads the team with 24 tackles for loss and nine sacks. Jett Washington and Isaiah Nickels have anchored the secondary. Washington has four interceptions.
“When they were freshmen, they were really quiet and were just a bunch of sponges around the older guys,” defensive lineman and Utah commit Sione Motuapuaka said. “Now that they’re juniors, I see them taking on that leadership role.”
The state title game will be Gorman’s second look at Arbor View. The Gaels rolled to a 49-14 road win over the Aggies on Oct. 10. Arbor View’s 14 points were the most Gorman allowed to a local team this season.
The Gaels are seeking their fourth straight state title and their 15th since 2007. Tuesday’s game will be the last one for a group of seniors that helped Gorman win its fourth mythical national title in 2023.
“It’s just a blessing to be on the field the last time with the boys again,” Alofaituli said. “The mission that we had planned was to just finish off the season. We don’t take any opportunities away. We want to be on the field and have that last battle with everybody and pass on the torch to the younger generation and show them what the standard is.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.