Gorman is the highest scoring prep team in the nation

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 | 1:50 a.m.

The Bishop Gorman High football team is scoring touchdowns at a record pace this fall.

The undefeated and hardly challenged Gaels have scored 736 points in 14 games, which makes the Catholic school the highest scoring team in the nation, according to maxpreps.com.

It has posted more than 50 points eight times, including a season-high 72 in blanking Bonanza Oct. 9. Gorman’s 62-21 victory against Reed High of Sparks in the state semifinals last Saturday marked the fourth time it has scored more than 60 points in a game.

The Gaels (14-0) finish the season Saturday at 12:07 p.m. against Del Sol at Sam Boyd Stadium in the large-school state championship game and are expected to light up the scoreboard again. The Web site also ranks Gorman No. 135 nationally, while Del Sol is No. 1,017.

Gorman has found equal success running and passing the ball.

Sophomore running back Shaquille Powell leads the Gaels with 27 touchdowns, senior back Victor Belen has 23 and freshman quarterback Anu Solomon has passed for 16 touchdowns.

“You have to give credit to the coaches for putting us in the position to have the opportunity to make plays,” said Gorman senior wide receiver Taylor Spencer, who has 16 catches for 316 yards and four touchdowns. “It’s been a team effort with no one being selfish.”

Gorman could have easily scored another 200 points, but coach Tony Sanchez has been overly cautious to not run up the score, especially against weaker opponents in the Gaels' Southwest Division — arguably the weakest league in the state.

Against Pahrump Valley on Sept. 11, for instance, the Gaels only ran seven plays in the second half in a 50-0 victory.

Del Sol has only given up 16 points per game with shutouts against Centennial and Rancho. Duplicating the effort against the high-scoring Gaels, however, will be easier said than done.

“Everyone on that team is an extremely good football player,” Del Sol coach Preston Goroff said. “When you look at their film, there isn’t one guy that stands out where you feel you can attack them.”

Gilmer High of Texas, the fourth highest scoring team in the nation, has scored 697 points in 13 games and plays Cuero High this week in the 3A Division semifinals. With two games possibly remaining, Gilmer could surpass Gorman’s point total.

Injured Del Sol rusher to play

Del Sol senior running back Dezerick Reed, who was knocked out of the Sunrise Regional championship game last Saturday against Basic with a severe ankle sprain, will be ready for this week’s state-championship tilt with Gorman.

Reed rushed for 34 yards and four carries in the initial two minutes against Basic, but injured his ankle while being tackled on the fourth carry and couldn’t return. He missed practice on Monday while receiving treatment and should be cleared by game time, Goroff said.

“We’d rather have him for Saturday’s game than Monday’s practice,” Goroff said.

Reed has rushed for 1,885 yards this year and doubles at linebacker, where he is the leader of defense and arguably more valuable.

Extra points

Del Sol will be the home team for the championship game and wear its maroon jerseys. Gorman will wear its road whites. ...Gorman will dress 56 players for the title game, including six who were on the 2007 championship team and four ninth-graders. Marquis Hunkin, a late-season varsity call-up from the freshmen team, had two tackles in the semifinal win against Reed. Another freshman, offensive lineman Haia-Kahalewai Lott, played on the Gaels scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Del Sol will dress 38, but only regularly plays about 16 players ...Del Sol kicker Jose Dominquez was added to the roster late in the summer after being one of the first cut from the Dragons’ soccer team. He is affectionately called “FIFA” by teammates after soccer’s governing body. The 5-foot-4, 135-pound Dominquez has made 28 extra points, including what turned out to be the decisive point last Saturday in Del Sol’s 20-19 Sunrise Regional championship victory against Basic. In addition, he’s one of the team’s biggest characters and always seems to find ways to make his teammates laugh. “Kickers are a different breed,” Goroff jokingly said.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected].