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March 18, 2024

PREP FOOTBALL:

Gorman QB Anu Solomon highlights Sun’s preseason team, on track to become state’s all-time leading passer

Junior signal caller needs 17 touchdown passes and 1,559 yards to break 4A marks

Anu Solomon

Bishop Gorman junior quarterback Anu Solomon, shown during practice Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011.

Bishop Gorman Quarterback: Anu Solomon

Bishop Gorman junior quarterback Anu Solomon, shown during practice Tuesday, August 16, 2011, is on track to shatter every significant Nevada passing record this season. He is one of 26 athletes on the preseason All-Sun team. Launch slideshow »

LasVegasSun.com Top 25

KSNV coverage of LasVegasSun.com's Top 25 preseason high school football team, July 20, 2011.

Getting ready for another high school football season

Las Vegas Sun sports editor Ray Brewer joins Randy Howe on the KSNV Sunday night sports show to look at the upcoming high school football season.

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Gorman out to break trend at Sollenberger Classic

Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Ray Brewer and Case Keefer return with a breakdown of the two games as part of the Sollenberger Classic. Can Bishop Gorman win its first national game of the year against Arizona's Chaparral High? Moapa Valley also challenges Show Low at the University of Phoenix stadium this weekend.

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A Las Vegas-area product hasn’t started at quarterback in a Division I college football game since the mid-1990s when Jon Denton was under center for UNLV.

But, after passing for 4,445 yards and 60 touchdowns in his first two seasons to lead Bishop Gorman High to a pair of state titles, Gaels junior quarterback Anu Solomon could break that trend.

He’s also on track to shatter every significant Nevada passing record in the process.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Solomon, who is 17 touchdown passes and 1,559 yards away from eclipsing the large-school classification record of Canyon Springs’ DeVonte Christopher, is one of the 26 athletes on the preseason All-Sun team. Gorman opens Saturday in Phoenix at the Sollenberger Classic against Chaparral High of Scottsdale, Ariz. Most other area schools’ seasons begin Aug. 26.

For as dominant as Solomon has been the past two seasons, expect an even more polished performance this year. When he burst onto the scene in 2009, much of his success could be attributed to talent because he had a limited time learning the offense.

“You are really going to see the full package with him this year,” Gorman coach Tony Sanchez said. “He really has a good football sense. He is a sharp kid. This year, the offense is in, everything is in. He has audibles he can make.”

Solomon has passed for three or more touchdowns in 13 of his 30 games despite often not playing in the second half when Gorman has comfortable leads. Still, there was one game where his performance didn’t resemble that of a future college quarterback.

Against Hamilton High of Arizona in last year’s Sollenberger Classic, Solomon completed just 5 of 16 passes for 58 yards and an interception. It was one of 10 interceptions he’s thrown and the only time he hasn’t had triple-digit passing yards.

On the game’s first series, Solomon experienced something he never expected — a hostile crowd. Hamilton students made the trip to Flagstaff, Ariz., for the game and were so loud during Gorman’s initial possession, the Gaels were flagged for three false starts and one delay of game penalty.

“In that game, mentally I wasn’t there,” he said. “All those fans, the noise. I was so distracted I didn’t know what to do. Fifty-eight yards, that’s embarrassing for me. Let’s just say I wasn’t prepared for that game. I didn’t work hard enough. I was too lazy. I was being so hyped. That freshman QB who is a stud. It made me overconfident.”

Solomon can make amends for the blemish Saturday against Chaparral, which is one of three ranked opponents Gorman will face this year on national television.

“He is a good quarterback who works hard,” said Marc Philippi, Gorman’s captain. “I trust him as a leader. Even though he is a (class) year below me, I look up to him.”

Click to enlarge photo

The defensive players on the 2011 preseason All-Sun team.

Click to enlarge photo

The offensive players on the 2011 preseason All-Sun team.

Here's a look at the rest of the team the preseason All-Sun team.

OFFENSE

Anu Solomon / QB / Junior, Bishop Gorman

Solomon has passed for 4,445 yards and 60 touchdowns in his first two season as the Gaels’ signal caller. He needs 1,559 yards and 17 touchdowns to become the large-school division’s all-time leading passer.

Shaquille Powell / RB / Senior, Bishop Gorman

Powell has rushed for 2,782 yards and 46 touchdowns the past two years. More important, he rises to the occasion in the big games, gaining 196 yards last year against nationally ranked Hamilton High of Arizona and 113 yards and two touchdowns against powerhouse De La Salle of Northern California.

Farrell Victor / RB / Senior, Las Vegas High

Victor has been a key contributor at perennial power Las Vegas High since his freshman season, rushing for more than 2,000 yards the past two years with 24 touchdowns. Also dangerous in the passing game, he has 52 career receptions for 535 yards and six touchdowns.

Ryan Smith / WR / Junior, Bishop Gorman

Smith, who caught 38 passes for 935 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall, is a top college prospect for the class of 2013. He’s played every game the past two years for Gorman, catching 48 passes for 340 yards in 2009.

Darien Spencer / WR / Senior, Basic

Spencer had 50 receptions for 676 yards and five touchdowns last year, and was an all-Southeast Division selection.

Steffan Webb

Legacy High tight end Steffan Webb talks about the upcoming high school football season.

Steffan Webb / TE / Senior, Legacy

Arguably the most physically-put-together player in the town, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Webb averaged 22.3 yards per catch last year.

Ronnie Stanley / OL / Senior, Bishop Gorman

With scholarship offers from the likes of Auburn, Notre Dame and USC, Stanley is the most coveted recruit in Las Vegas. A talented athlete, the 6-foot-6, 280-pound tackle also starts on the Gaels’ nationally ranked basketball team and could play college basketball if he wanted.

Cedrick Poutasi / OL / Senior, Desert Pines

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound tackle is one of the valley’s most sought-after college prospects, impressing recruiters with his strength, mobility and relatively lean frame. At a scouting event this spring, he showed his sheer strength in lifting 185 pounds 27 times — well above the national average.

Elijah George / OL / Junior, Arbor View

One of the top offensive lineman in the state’s most respected league, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound George helped pave the way for Arbor View to win its first nine games last fall and reach the Sunset Region semifinals.

Ron Scoggins Jr. / OL / Senior, Bishop Gorman

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Scoggins has started every game the past two years for Gorman’s back-to-back state title teams. He has scholarship offers from UNLV, Fresno State and San Jose State.

Myles Elgaard / OL / Senior, Palo Verde

The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Elgaard will lead the blocking scheme this fall for Palo Verde’s potent rushing attack, which is always one of the state’s most productive.

Jay Mattox / K / Junior, Las Vegas High

Mattox, a converted soccer player, drilled 10 of 13 fields goals last year and made 24 extra points. He was named to the sophomore All-American team by Maxpreps.com

Chris Marshall / KR / Senior, Del Sol

The top player in the Southeast Division, Marshall had 21 kickoff returns for 616 yards last year, including the eventual game-winner in a big win against Canyon Springs. Marshall also rushed for 1,728 yards and 17 touchdowns, was a part-time punter, started at defensive back and completed 3 of 4 passes at quarterback.

Chris Marshall

Del Sol High senior running back and kick returner Chris Marshall talks about the upcoming high school football season.

DEFENSE

Dillon Chaisson / DL / Senior, Palo Verde

An intimidating force on the defensive line, the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Chaisson recorded eight sacks in 2010 and had 5.8 tackles per game.

PJ Taeao / DL / Senior, Liberty

A force on both sides on the line, the 6-foot-1, 335-pound Taeao is a significant reason why Liberty will be in position to make another deep playoff run.

Brandin Card / DL / Senior, Mojave

Card, who averaged 5.4 tackles per game last year in helping Silverado reach the playoffs, is a major upgrade defensively for a Mojave team that has recorded one winning season since opening in 1996.

Zach Hutchins / DL / Senior, Bishop Gorman

Hutchins, who will also start at tight end for the two-time defending state champions, has blossomed into one of their best defenders. In a defense that has to replace several key contributors, his experience will be heavily relied upon.

Trajan Pili / LB / Junior, Centennial

Pili was a key cog in Centennial’s team that advanced to the Sunset semifinals last year. One of the area’s best younger prospects, he’s already verbally committed to BYU after shining this summer at the Cougars’ camp.

Jerrol Garcia-Williams / LB / Senior, Palo Verde

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Garcia-Williams, who has a scholarship offer from Southern Utah, is one of several proven defenders for perennial power Palo Verde in its quest for another Northwest Division crown.

Jared Tuilagi / LB / Senior, Liberty

Liberty’s defense will be big and physical, with players such as Tuilagi leading the charge for the defending Sunrise Regional champions.

Kyle Henry / LB / Senior, Desert Oasis

Henry, who is one of the Las Vegas Valley’s most underrated players, had 144 tackles the past two years. Enough said.

Ryan Beaulieu

Palo Verde High defensive back Ryan Beaulieu talks about the upcoming high school football season.

Ryan Beaulieu / DB / Junior, Palo Verde

The speedy Beaulieu is the best player on one of the state’s best teams. Not bad for a junior.

Marc Philippi / DB / Senior, Bishop Gorman

Gorman captain and defensive team leader, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Philippi is a three-year starter and one of UNLV’s top local recruiting targets.

Roderick Eason / DB / Senior, Arbor View

The 6-foot, 180-pound Eason had 57 tackles and four interceptions last fall. A virtual unknown entering the season, Eason now has a scholarship offer from Colorado and is being recruited by other schools.

Dylan Lindemann / P / Senior, Del Sol

Lindemann, who also starts at linebacker for Del Sol, was an all-Southeast Division punter last year. As a place kicker, he connected on five field goals last year and is believed to have one of the strongest legs in the valley.

L.J. McMorris / ATH / Senior, Legacy

McMorris battled injuries most of last year, but make no mistake, he is one of the area’s most dynamic players. He’s regularly clocked at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash and has the potential to have a monster season.

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