Kyle Hansen

Bishop Gorman’s William Fitzgerald (58) grabs a fumbled ball before Clark’s Anthony Lotta (11) can get to it.

By Hepi Mita (contact)

Sat, Oct 4, 2008 (12:30 a.m.)

Taylor Spencer's teammates were noticeably envious after the junior capped Bishop Gorman's 55-0 win over Clark with a fumble recovery for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

"They were a little bit jealous," Spencer said. "That's my first defensive play of the whole year."

Gaels linebacker Trevor Stuart initially made the play, picking off Chargers quarterback Anthony Lotta. However, during the return Stuart fumbled the ball and it wound up in the hands of Spencer, who ran it into the end zone for an easy six points.

The score was Spencer's fourth touchdown of the game.

"I liked this game because we passed a lot," Spencer said. "We got pass protection. That's what the difference was."

Another difference in the Gaels' offense was the fact that it was led by senior quarterback Joe Huber, who was starting over fellow senior Chase Cresto. Huber got a boost from Spencer, who had two long touchdowns of 44 and 18 yards, but he also showed his own skills, spreading the ball around.

In the second quarter, Huber engineered a 55-second drive that went for 73 yards in just three plays. He first connected with junior tight end Xavier Grimbel for 30 yards, and followed that with a 40-yard completion to receiver Evan Zeger. Zeger showed some nice moves after the catch, making two defenders miss, but they eventually brought him down at the 3. Tailback Victor Belen finished the job Huber started, punching the ball into the end zone to put the Gaels up 21-0.

Huber finished the game with four touchdown passes and no interceptions, although the offense did turn the ball over twice on fumbles early in the first half.

"If that was a championship game those turnovers would have killed us," Gorman coach Bob Altshuler said.

As impressive as the Gaels' offense was, it was outshined by a big performance by the defensive unit. The Charger offense was held to less than 100 yards and gave up five turnovers in the game, giving Bishop Gorman great field position for its drives.

"I think we've got the best defense in the state," Spencer said. "Our line is explosive, backers get in if the line doesn't get in, our safeties have got the coverage and the corners have got it locked."

The Gaels are staring at the playoffs, now facing teams that either have losing records or are just breaking even.

Coming up next for the Gales is their homecoming game against 3-3 Sierra Vista, while Clark looks to bounce back against Pahrump Valley.