Bishop Gorman’s path to a fourth national title became more clear Friday night.
Top-ranked Mater Dei (California) lost 28-0 to No. 9 St. John Bosco (California), leaving No. 2 Gaels poised to assume the No. 1 ranking when the MaxPreps poll updates Monday and USA Today releases its weekly poll on Tuesday.
Bishop Gorman improved to 9-0 Friday night with a 56-12 win over Desert Pines.
The Gaels won three straight national titles from 2014 to 2016. They have outscored opponents 428-155, and their resume includes wins against No. 10 Miami Central (Florida), No. 18 Corner Canyon (Utah) and No. 19 Centennial (California).
Gorman plays just Southern Nevada schools the rest of the season but could play another nationally ranked team if the Gaels elected to play in a postseason bowl game like they did last year.
Gorman hosts Coronado at 7 p.m. Friday in its regular-season finale. The 5A Division I playoffs begin Oct. 26. But by being the top seed, the Gaels will have a bye to the state semifinals on Nov. 3.
Liberty locks up No. 2 seed
While the national title picture got clearer Friday night, so did the potential challenger to Gorman in the 5A Division I playoffs.
Liberty rolled Arbor View 24-6 Friday to secure the No. 2 seed in the 5A Division I playoffs. The Patriots would host two playoff games and avoid Gorman until the state title game, scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 21, at Allegiant Stadium.
Liberty already got a look at Gorman, losing 49-6 on Sept. 14. With all seven teams in 5A Division I making the playoffs, the Patriots will also likely get a rematch with Arbor View, this time at Liberty, in the postseason.
“We get two home playoff games now and won’t have to go on the road except to hopefully Allegiant Stadium,” Liberty coach Rich Muraco said. “It’s a little weird the way this whole structure is that we’re going to play the same exact teams again. But we look forward to it. The goal is to be at Allegiant Stadium and take on Bishop Gorman.”
Battle for first place
Friday marks the return of the “Battle for Boulder Highway” when Henderson rivals Foothill and Basic meet. First place in the 5A Division II Southern League could be on the line when the teams play at Basic depending on tiebreakers.
Foothill (8-1, 5-0) is alone atop the standings, but Basic (6-2, 4-1) is tied for second with Faith Lutheran (5-3, 4-1). The Crusaders have the tiebreaker over Basic with a 24-23 overtime win last month.
“(Basic) coach (Jeff) Cahill texted me earlier wishing me good luck, of course they wanted us to win and if they win, the winner (next week probably) wins the league,” Foothill coach Vernon Brown said. “It’s going to be an interesting game. It’s going to be a battle from here on out, so we’ll be ready.”
Basic snapped a five-game skid against Henderson rival Green Valley with a 19-17 win in the “Henderson Bowl.” Foothill handed Faith Lutheran its first league loss with a 28-17 road win.
“We’re answering the challenge every time now. Our name is out there now,” Brown said. “Foothill this, Foothill that, Foothill has an offense and a defense. Everybody’s ready to attack us. I just like how the guys continue to practice hard and work. We’ll take it one day at a time.”
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