Bishop Gorman’s offense wasn’t exactly sputtering in the first half Friday night, but the Gaels weren’t setting any records, either.
In the second half, Gorman put the pedal to the metal and showed exactly what its high-powered offense can do.
The Gaels scored five second-half touchdowns — all on drives of four or fewer plays — on the way to a 49-3 home win over Liberty in the Class 5A Division I state semifinals.
The Gaels (10-1) will play Arbor View (10-1) for the state title Nov. 26 at Allegiant Stadium.
“We had a little rocky start, but after that, we kind of focused in and reviewed our plays and we just went out there and competed,” Gorman quarterback Maika Eugenio said. “We just competed and picked up our tempo and just started building momentum, and everybody was making plays. The linemen were going crazy. That’s it.”
Gorman led 14-3 at halftime, and both scoring drives came when the Gaels took over in Liberty territory. The Gaels managed 139 yards of offense in the first half, but wasted little time taking control in the third quarter.
Gorman drove 75 yards on four plays in just 53 seconds, capped by a 2-yard run by Champ Kapanui to take a 21-3 lead with 11:07 to go in the third quarter. The big play was a 50-yard pass from Eugenio to Kaina Watson.
The juniors connected time and again all night. Watson finished with seven catches for 188 yards and a TD.
“Maika, I’ve been playing with him since I was 3, and the connection we have … I just do what I do,” Watson said.
Eugenio, who completed 13 of 18 passes for 306 yards and four scores, said Watson seemed to be open whenever he faced pressure and needed to find an outlet.
“He’s big. He’s doing his job, he’s getting open, and it’s just my job to get him the ball,” Eugenio said. “He gets the ball, he makes a nice move, and that’s it. It gives us a lot of momentum and a lot of momentum to go score a touchdown.”
After forcing another quick punt, the Gaels drove 67 yards on four plays, capped by a 12-yard TD run by Myles Norman to make it 28-3 with 7:05 left in the third quarter. Eugenio hit Watson with a 26-yard pass, and Norman had three carries for 41 yards on the drive.
The Gaels added a 31-yard scoring strike from Eugenio to Derek Meadows before the end of the quarter, and the rout was on.
Eugenio added a 17-yard TD pass to Aizen Torres and a 27-yard scoring toss to Terrance Grant to round out the scoring.
“Things just kind of clicked. We missed some opportunities, obviously, in the first half,” Gorman coach Brent Browner said. “They made some plays. It’s a good team we just played. It’s a good team we just beat. I think people fail to realize that day in and day out. That team’s going to beat 99 percent of other people in the country.
“Those are hard-nosed kids that play really, really hard. We came out in the second half, and I think we made more plays in the second half.”
Gorman’s defense was up to the task all night, limiting Liberty (5-7) to a 48-yard field goal by Colton Friedman as time expired in the second quarter. The Patriots finished with minus-4 rushing yards.
“They play at a high level,” Browner said of his defense, which got two tackles for loss from Prince Williams. “They played a high motor, and it’s great to watch. Especially watching back on film after they get done. All three levels, D-line, linebackers and DBs, all hitting on every cylinder.”
Norman finished with 86 yards on 11 carries, Grant had four carries for 69 yards, and Kapanui scored on two short runs for Gorman, which will be seeking its fourth consecutive state title.
The Gaels have won 14 titles since 2007.
