Notebook: Impact of Bishop Gorman’s Grimble goes beyond the box score

Case Keefer

Xavier Grimble, No. 6, leads Bishop Gorman on to the field Saturday in Sparks to take on Reed. Despite not catching a pass, Grimble helped Gorman topple Reed 62-21.

By Case Keefer (contact)

Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009 | 7:25 p.m.

Case Keefer

Bishop Gorman's football team celebrates Saturday after beating Reed in Sparks for a shot at the state title next week in Las Vegas.

SPARKS—The answer might have come as a surprise to Bishop Gorman fans.

Asked which player impressed him most on a day where his team’s offense exploded for more than 500 yards in a 62-21 win over Reed, Bishop Gorman coach Tony Sanchez named one player whose name didn’t even appear in the box score.

“Honestly, the guy I’m really proud of is Xavier Grimble,” Sanchez said. “People have spent so much time focusing on him and trying to take him away that it’s just completely opened up the run game.”

Grimble, the No. 1-ranked tight end in the country according to Rivals.com, didn’t record a reception in the win against Reed.

As teams have all season, Reed blanketed him all day in pass coverage. But Grimble still found a way to make his presence felt.

Many of Gorman’s biggest rushing plays were to his side of the line, where Grimble regularly blocked his opponent to the ground.

Sanchez said Grimble, who has committed to USC, showed why he was one of the team’s captains.

“He’s smiling on the sidelines even though he’s not catching a lot of balls,” Sanchez said. “His unselfishness, to me, is astonishing.”

Gorman well represented in Sparks

The long travel didn’t deter Bishop Gorman fans from making the trip to Sparks for the state semifinal game.

The visiting stands at Reed High School were nearly full all day with fans rooting the Gaels on.

“That’s the Gorman community,” Tom Nieman of Las Vegas said. “It’s like that. They all want to support it.”

Nieman said he decided to make the trip with his family because he had watched the Gaels all year and didn’t want to miss the biggest game yet.

Nieman has been a Bishop Gorman fan for years and said he believed the direction of coach Tony Sanchez was what set this team apart as special.

“They’re well-coached,” Nieman said. “He puts them in the right position to be successful, whether it’s on offense or defense. They run it when teams are looking for a pass and they pass it when teams are looking for a run.”

Another Bishop Gorman starter picks up an offer

Offensive lineman A.C. Patterson might have been paying extra attention to the city during his few days in Reno with Bishop Gorman.

Earlier in the week, UNR offered Patterson a scholarship. Patterson has some time before he has to make a college decision, as he is only a junior.