Graney: Gorman QB ready for opportunity against nation’s No. 1 team

Brent Browner is racking his brain. He’s trying to figure out as a coach how to beat another prep power of a football program.

Trying to figure out how best to prepare his Bishop Gorman Gaels.

“You watch film and see how we can attack them and see how good they are and really make sure we can teach our kids all the stuff we know about them and make sure they’re fully ready,” Browner said. “I think everybody in the country is looking forward to watching us play and compete against each other. They have a phenomenal team. It’s going to be awesome to be part of.”

You don’t get brighter Friday Night Lights than this.

Gorman plays at Mater Dei in a battle of the nation’s top two teams Friday in Santa Ana, California. The Monarchs are ranked No. 1 by MaxPreps and the Gaels are No. 2.

And much like in a comeback win against No. 11 St. Thomas Aquinas on Aug. 24, Gorman will need some special drives from senior quarterback Melvin Spicer IV.

Intense glare

This is what he has waited for. These kind of moments. Spicer played some behind all-everything Micah Alejado, but has never been under this sort of intense glare. He is now.

Browner’s message to Spicer: Be yourself. Don’t try to mimic those Gorman quarterbacks of the past. It doesn’t work that way. It can’t work that way.

“Last year, we had one of the most offensively gifted teams that ever played (high school football),” Browner said of the school’s 2023 mythical national champions. “That said, we have to do things differently this year. Play differently.

“I saw (Spicer) grow up in the second half against St. Thomas Aquinas. We adjusted to his strengths instead of playing in the past. That’s where he will excel, excel, excel.”

Spicer completed 12 of 17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 78 yards. He helped the Gaels rally from a 21-10 deficit to win 29-21.

It’s not always the easiest task, sitting and waiting one’s turn while others direct a program to consistent glory. Alejado was a marvelous high school quarterback over three years for the Gaels, one of the finest in Nevada history.

Browner preaches that succeeding at such a high level is just as much mental as physical. That while an afternoon practice at Gorman is a test, games like the one against Mater Dei are even more challenging.

“Can you be disciplined in your job every single time you’re asked to do it?” Browner said. “Do you have (the) grit when it’s tough and hot and your whole body hurts to keep going?

“The whole idea is to play in these types of games. That’s why as a young man you want to play football and have aspirations of going on to college. You have to play in these types of games.”

All the marbles

Pressure either bursts pipes or makes diamonds. It’s one of the mantras of Gorman football, one that Spicer now embraces in his No 1 role. Says that pressure elevates his game and that of those around him.

He says this is not a program for the weak-minded. That you become stronger and better from your mistakes. That this is one of the main reasons you play for the Gaels, for these moments and these opponents.

“It’s for all the marbles,” Spicer said. “The biggest game you get to play in. It’s not easy. It will be one of the hardest games we ever play. They’re a great football team. But I believe and everyone around us believes. I think we’re going to do this thing.

“An amazing environment. When you can step out there under the bright lights of Friday night like this in front of big crowds … you can’t ask for anything more than this opportunity.”

It’s a massive one.

Brent Browner is racking his brain. His team is also on a 27-game winning streak.

I’m thinking he’ll come up with a plan.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.