Gorman, Liberty handle step up in competition in semis

In-state opponents had proved to be little competition for Liberty and Bishop Gorman entering Friday night.

Liberty’s lone tight game was a 16-7 win over Desert Pines at the end of the regular season for the Class 5A Mountain League title.

As for Gorman, all games against local teams — and some games against national opponents — went to a running clock before halftime.

When the Patriots and Gaels meet once again in Friday’s Class 5A Southern Region final at Liberty, they will almost surely be each other’s toughest in-state opponent.

But on Friday, Liberty and Gorman didn’t breeze through their competition like they often do.

The Patriots held a 17-9 lead over Arbor View in the fourth quarter before adding a late touchdown to put away a 24-9 victory.

“I was really happy with the way our kids responded to being in a tight game,” Liberty coach Rich Muraco said. “They understood that we needed to execute. You have to make plays, and defensively you have to get stops.”

Muraco said the Patriots played their best game offensively despite having only two possessions in the first half. And he credited their defense for holding the Aggies to field goals when they reached the red zone.

Like Gorman, Liberty played a nonleague schedule heavy with national opponents. Muraco said those four games against out-of-state competition provided a benefit for his team that the Patriots didn’t get in most of their blowout wins against local teams.

“Playing some of our out-of-state games, even though we lost some of those games, it helped because we were in a couple of close games this year where we had to finish out,” Muraco said. “The Desert Pines game was similar. It was a two-score game late. It helped us again in this game as well.”

While Gorman rolled past Desert Pines for a 41-3 win in its semifinal matchup, the Jaguars were the first local opponent to score on the Gaels. Gorman led only 14-3 at halftime, and the game didn’t go to a running clock until midway through the fourth quarter.

Gorman coach Brent Browner said it was beneficial to have a full game with most of his starters. He also liked how his team settled down and stayed focused after allowing a few big plays on the Jaguars’ opening drive that set them up for the field goal.

What Browner wasn’t too impressed with were a pair of turnovers the Gaels committed at the goal line. He said taking care of the ball will be a priority when they face the Patriots with a berth in the state championship game on the line.

“They’ve shown themselves to be one of the top teams again in Nevada,” Browner said. “We’re just excited to play another game, and more than anything, it’ll be another good challenge.”

In last year’s region final, the Gaels put away the Patriots 35-14. But the last time the teams played at Liberty, the Patriots pulled off the upset of the then-10-time-defending state champion Gaels 30-24 in overtime.

Muraco said Gorman is “on another level right now.” And while he knows his team will have its hands full, he said getting to play Gorman is something the Patriots always look forward to.

“That’s our goal, to be in this game every year,” Muraco said. “We want to beat them, so we get that opportunity. That’s all you can ask for. You want to play the best, and we’re going to get that opportunity next week.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.