Friday recap: 5A Division I playoffs set, rematches ahead
Every high school football league title race went down to the final weeks of the regular season. Even the league title in the top classification (technically).
Bishop Gorman reminded everyone — as if a reminder was needed — that it is still in a class of its own. The Gaels romped to a 51-0 win at Coronado to clinch another league title.
The Class 5A Division I playoffs are set after the regular season concluded for those teams Friday night.
Even as the gaps closed between the next group of teams behind Gorman — second-seeded Arbor View (8-1), No. 3 Coronado (6-4) and No. 4 Liberty (4-6) — no one has been able to challenge the Gaels.
Gorman (9-1) will have a bye into the state semifinals Nov. 15. The Gaels, ranked No. 4 nationally by MaxPreps, have not lost to a local opponent in league play since 2007, and their only loss on the season was a 31-15 defeat at No. 1 Mater Dei (California) in September.
While Gorman can plan to be at Allegiant Stadium for the state title game Nov. 26, the battle to take on the Gaels is the top storyline to pay attention to in the playoffs.
In the regular season, Arbor View defeated Coronado 28-21, which gave the Aggies the No. 2 seed and made the Cougars as the No. 3 seed. Arbor View hosts No. 7 Basic and Coronado hosts No. 6 Desert Pines at 6 p.m. Friday.
Should Arbor View and Coronado meet again, the matchup will feature two of the state’s top quarterbacks. Arbor View’s Thaddeus Thatcher leads a stacked offense, and Georgetown commit Aiden Krause is back under center for Coronado after missing a few games with an injury.
Thatcher threw five touchdown passes in the Aggies’ 49-21 win against Foothill on Friday to make him the state leader with 29. He entered the week leading the state with 2,411 passing yards. Krause entered the week sixth in the state with 1,785 passing yards and has added 19 TD passes.
Gorman has been getting great play from quarterback Maika Eugenio, who passed for 251 yards and two scores against Coronado. The junior right-hander has passed for 1,485 and 22 touchdowns this season.
No local team has been able to keep up with Gorman’s offense. The Gaels flexed their muscles when they rolled to a 49-14 win at Arbor View on Oct. 10. Along with the recent play of Eugenio, the Gaels have weapons at the skill positions and feature the nation’s best offensive line.
Up next: Rematches
A wrinkle to all 5A and 4A teams making the postseason is the playoffs set up rematches from the regular season.
Perhaps the games of the week will be the 5A Division II Southern League semifinals. Top-seeded and undefeated Faith Lutheran (9-0) hosts No. 4 Green Valley (7-3), and No. 2 Legacy (7-4) hosts No. 3 Shadow Ridge (8-3).
In the regular season, Faith Lutheran defeated Green Valley 35-7 on Oct. 18, and Legacy rolled past Shadow Ridge 43-14 on Oct. 5. The league has been considered one of the most competitive in the state, and we could see why Friday.
In 5A Division III, No. 3 Desert Oasis (7-3) plays at No. 2 Las Vegas High (7-3) in a Southern League semifinal. Las Vegas rolled to a 33-12 regular-season win at Desert Oasis on Sept. 27.
Another contender for the game of the week will be in Moapa Valley. The second-seeded Pirates (9-1) host No. 3 Virgin Valley (8-3) in a 3A Southern League semifinal.
Moapa Valley won the “Hammer Game” over their rival Virgin Valley 27-7 on Oct. 24. Moapa Valley’s lone loss came to league champion SLAM Academy, but Virgin Valley was the only local team to beat SLAM Academy. The Bulldogs defeated the Bulls 26-16 on Oct. 10.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.