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Stephen R. Sylvanie/Special to the Sun
The Bishop Gorman Gaels football team poses for photographs after defeating Liberty for their fourth Division I State Championship title in a row at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 | 5:53 p.m.
Prep Sports Now
What's the line on Gorman vs. Liberty?
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It's the game everyone expected for the state championship — Bishop Gorman vs. Liberty. Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Ray Brewer and Case Keefer play oddsmaker and try to set the appropriate line on the game. They settle on Gorman -25, with opinions split on which team covers at Sam Boyd Stadium Saturday.
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- High school football section
This wasn’t the first time Bishop Gorman High quarterback Anu Solomon completed a long touchdown pass in a big game.
Seconds before halftime Saturday in the Division-I high school football state championship game against Liberty at Sam Boyd Stadium, Solomon connected on a short pass to tight end Alize Jones. Jones did the rest in outracing the Liberty defense for a 78-yard touchdown and 18-point Gorman lead at the break.
The completion gave Solomon more than 10,000 passing yards for his four-year career. He would finish with 199 yards and four touchdowns, leading Gorman to its fourth straight state championship with a convincing 63-10 victory.
Ryan Smith, another four-year starter for Gorman, hauled in three passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns, and he added a touchdown pass to Jones on a fake field goal on the Gaels’ first drive of the second half to essentially put the game out of reach
Make no doubt about it, the Gorman dynasty of the past four years with Solomon and Smith leading the charge is arguably the best in state history. After all, Gorman became the first school since Reno High in the 1950s to win four consecutive championships.
But by no means is Gorman’s dominance going to end without Solomon, Smith and other mainstays during the championship seasons graduating. The Gorman cupboard, as witnessed in the victory, will be far from bare.
Randall Cunningham Jr., Solomon’s backup, rushed for a 19-yard touchdown run with 4:53 to play to close the scoring as Gorman finished with 49 unanswered points. Jones, an athletic 6-foot-3, 205-pound tight end, is a sophomore and a likely blue-chip Division I college recruit.
And, of course, there is Nate Starks.
The junior rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns on five carries in the first quarter alone, finishing with 160 yards to cap his breakout campaign. He already has scholarship offers from the likes of Oklahoma and Texas, and he should combine next year with Cunningham, Jones and the others to make Gorman again the favorite to win the state championship.
“It’s a moment in history right now with the four-peat,” said Starks, who had scoring runs of 33 and 25 yards in the first quarter to give Gorman the lead for good. “I’m just so grateful to be part of the team and have the coaches I do. We come out and grind and don’t take anything for granted. (Next year), we just have to keep working hard on the field and in the weight room, and the best will come again in the end.”
While Gorman will have more than its share of talented players with experience ready to step into the starting lineup, it won’t be easy replacing the likes of Solomon, even when he isn’t at his best.
Against Liberty, the Arizona-committed quarterback misfired on his initial three passes, including one for an interception, and didn’t have a pass completion until 3:33 before halftime. However, he wouldn’t be denied, completing four passes for 131 yards to close the half, including a 35-yard touchdown to Smith and the long hookup with Jones.
“Our kids, they have just done a fantastic job,” Gorman coach Tony Sanchez said. “You look over the years, and any time we have played a big game, our kids have really stepped up. They have never not competed in a big game. We have lost four games (in the past four years) and all are against (out-of-state) teams that have won state championships.”
Gorman closed like you would expect a four-time state champion to in the second half, scoring on all five of its possessions and holding Liberty scoreless.
The Gaels opened the half by draining six minutes off the clock with a long scoring drive, which was capped by Smith’s touchdown pass to Jones on the fake field goal. Liberty fumbled on the initial play of the ensuing possession and Solomon made the Patriots pay by connecting with Jamir Tillman for a 9-yard touchdown and a 42-10 lead.
The touchdowns were less than 90 seconds apart. The Patriots, the three-time Sunrise Region champs who last year twice had first-half leads against Gorman in losing by only 20 points, couldn’t mount a comeback.
Niko Kapeli, Liberty’s all-time leading rusher who had more than 200 total yards against Gorman last year, had just one yard on 13 carries. Kai Nacua, Liberty’s versatile quarterback who doubles at wide receiver, was limited to two receptions for 26 yards and negative rushing yards with sacks. He passed for about 70 yards and had a 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but for the first time this year, he couldn’t take over the game.
“I thought early on we played well,” Liberty coach Rich Muraco said. “We came out, and we were fired up and ready to play. There are so many momentum swings in a game. I tried to tell the kids before the game that it is not always going to go their way, and there will be highs and lows, but you have to keep believing and keep the intensity when things go poorly.
“But it kind of got out of hand there in the second half. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t play as well as we would have liked today.”
Liberty still had momentum early in the third quarter when it stopped Gorman inside the the 10-yard line to force a short field goal attempt. With the Patriots trailing by 18 points, a Gorman field goal would have kept it a three-score game.
Then, Smith had one of his finest moments as a Gael. A holder on field goals, he took the snap and threw a perfect pass to Jones for a back-breaking touchdown.
“If we came out and played well, I knew we could win another one,” said Smith, who finished his career with a large-school division record 3,208 receiving yards. “They key was settling down and playing our game, and that is what we did.”
Senior Justin Sweet added a 55-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter, and senior Dalton Baker had an interception and a fumble recovery.
Next year, it will be someone else’s turn to add to the Gorman legacy. Judging by Saturday, it’s a dynasty that is far from finished.
“All of our kids bought into the success we were going to have a group,” Sanchez said. “They know individual accomplishment will come through team effort. The great thing about it is, you look at our sideline and the whole team from last year is here. The team from two years ago is here. They have the expectation to continue the tradition.”
Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or ray.brewer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.
Illegal recruiting and a multi-million dollar athletic facility gives Gorman a great advantage.
Absolutely unimpressed. Completely uneven playing field.
Let's get a game together ... I will take the first 40 picks, then you pick one, I will take the next 20, then you get another one.
That will be a great game ...
What a shock ... We beat you by 50. Wow!! We are awesome! Pats on the back to everyone on my team!
Gorman has good position players but their lines make all the difference. Every team in the valley has one or two big athletic linemen, gorman has a full roster of them. The holes on offense are huge. Let me pick one lineman from each side of liberty, palo, centennial, arbor view and coronado and put a decent back behind them and watch him be great.
same thing next year gorman has over 15 players at 6 ft 5 inches coming back .they only lose a qb next year .but the boosters are working the phones right now to get a new one . if my kid was good at football he would be going to gorman .not the crappy ranked last in the usa clark county school district . good for gorman getting these kids and i bet there are about a 100 more who would like to go there but cant because you can have so many on a football team . they have good facilities because the boosters get behind the schools . why would the rich families in las vegas want to help the ccsd improve facilities .they would just piss away the money on the administrators . there are other schools in the private sector like gorman . rockhurst in kansas city , don bosco in new jersey. joliet catholic in chicago, st.ignasius in cleveland . if you want your kid to play college ball and get a good education send him or her to gorman. they dont have shootings,gang fights,lockdowns,or other crap like the ccsd district does
So play each other Mr. big Shot Notch SuperiorPants. Go play Mater Dei or Oak Christian or De La Salle and get your butts kicked or other recruiting schools. Don't puff out your chest because you beat zoned schools in a weak football state.
No one should blame any parents for sending their kids to play football at Gorman, but do not go around pretending you did anything special pounding on zoned schools without university-level facilities. Throw all the players in the valley in a pot and let there be a draft and see if Gorman is so dominant then. Not a chance, but then of course that would be a level playing field. Stop being in denial of the true situation Gormanites!
Oh and by the way Notch, you are a liar if you say that all Gorman players are there because they can afford a private school. Riiiiiiiiiiight......
Congratulations Gorman on winning another title. I think not winning by more than 45 points would be considered a defeat. But as usual you showed your dominance. Congratulations also to Liberty for representing the public schools. Hold your heads up for it's almost impossible to beat a stacked deck. See everyone next season. Here's to hoping for change NIAA.
LMFAO @ the haters.....it fuels the fire! Congratulations Gaels! You played hard and showed the State of Nevada who rightfully deserve be crowned as the best football team. Maybe next year there won't be a snub by AZ! Go Gaels!
I have no hate for Gorman. I commend you for manipulating the rules to guarantee a sure all-star team year after year. Unfortunately no PUBLIC school is afforded the same opportunity.
Fuels the fire beating up on inferior talent because you bought nearly all the best players and acting like that is something special ... Laughable.
Notch... We all know how flawless high school ranking sites are. That is why we use rankings to know who is truly better. I am sure they figure in your "impressive" margins of victory against the NV public schools? You would finish in the middle of the pack at best competing in a league of all private schools in a real football state where they have more than 2 or 3 private schools. Gorman is champion of Nevada, but not worth beating your chest over considering your opposition cannot offer what your money can buy.
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Comment removed by moderator. Name Calling
Aloha,
I glanced at the comments and the ones of negativity because of Gormans dominance is ABSOLUTELY true.
If you didn't know by now, it's not ILLEGAL to have more talent (dept on both sides of the ball), better coaches, facilities, faculty, administration, alumni, parents, & MONEY etc.......
Bottom line, Gorman is absolutely blessed to have the above statements. Taking nothing for granted, they work harder & smarter than anyone else utilizing all their assets (talents).
Lastly, give credit to EVERYONE involved of Gorman succeeding & becoming Nevada State champs four (4) years in a row, UNBELIEVABLE.
P.S.
Liberty coaches we're not ready to say the least. If they took the time to study & scout, score would have been much closer.
Please show this kind of effort and enthusiasm throughout your kids lives. Get pissed and do better for yourself and your family. Gorman is going to beat up the valley in varsity quiz. Why? Gorman will prepare their students to succeed. Every sport, every event, every stat counted. Why? Not every kid gets a sticker at Gorman. You have to prove it with results. Funny thing, they do not rank students. You are your own competition. The failure is CCSD. Trying to pick up the slower kids at the cost of the faster kids breeds a society of walmart employees. You the parent, need to yell at your schools senior staff.
Even if the county picks the players like one huge dodgeball game, Gorman will be in the finals because the campus culture is different. Please have your kid shadow a student athlete or a scholar diploma student. You are expected to do more because you are wearing that "G"
Unfortunately Gorman sets a bad example for kids and parents. They build a palace to play in and train in. It's bloody high school football and to glorify it so is unseemly.
With all the problems our schools have to put football on such a high pedestal is perverse. I'm not advocating that it be done away with but it should be secondary if not tertiary to the business of a school which is education.
Newsflash....football is big business in college and pros (not just the NFL). High School football in Texas, California, and Florida is huge. Gorman's football program and facilities put it on par with those states and brings NATIONAL recognition to the State of Nevada....what has YOUR school done to raise national awareness or improve itself on the national stage?! Hate on haters! LMFAO
How many students from Gorman have served in the military in the last 11 years? Bet the public schools have a much higher percentage.
I coach football in the Bay Area and used to coach in the Las Vegas valley as well as Reno. The thing with private schools is not the recruiting. It isn't. Stop saying it is. It's about when a kid goes to Gorman, Serra, De La Salle, etc they know exactly what the expectation is. The coach has unlimited time, energy, and resources to make the kid better. As long as the coaching is right, the kid will naturally be better. If a public school kid misses a summer workout, as a coach what can we say? If a private school player misses a workout, what can THAT coach say? It's about the level of expectations and the resources that private schools have ability too. I hate what private schools are BUT you have to respect what they are able to do both athletically and academically. I would love to see Gorman play in the West Catholic League here in the bay or the ones in SoCal.
Congrats to Liberty. You are the state champions in my mind and most other non-elite types. When every starter on Gorman received a scholarship and not one starter paid his own way, which tells me all I need to know.
WOW, BC..."they show why they are intellectually superior to you proud parents whose kids sweep floors or park cars for a living if they work at all". Are you really as dogmatic as you sound? I hope the next individual who parks YOUR car or cleans up after YOU in a restaurant receives more respect from you than you demonstrated here. Pardon my French, but you sound like a pompous horse's derriere!
Far from a Gorman supporter, but at least what they do is technically within the letter of the rules.
Liberty, on the other hand, has blatantly recruited and ignored NIAA rules for the past few years. How's it feel for the adults involved to sell your souls and still lose by 50? Must be so proud.
And the weak leaders of CCSD Athletics and the NIAA who hate Gorman so much that they turn a blind eye to their own members cheating are the worst ones of all.
And I love our immpartial Sun Sports Editor getting on Twitter and openly recruiting for Liberty football. Nothing like teaching kids to cheat for the easy results instead of working to make your own school better. It's almost as bad as leaving a link at the top of the Sports page to Gorman's milliion dollar training facility. Free advertising for an Athletic program that doesn't need your help.
@ BCdave
It's funny how you worked academics into the topic. You better bet Gorman should have a higher graduation rate, the school has total control as to who attends. I suspect trouble makers and those lagging are pushed back to the public schools. Yes, the public schools are not selective on who can attend, they must accept all in their zone. So if Gorman's graduation rate (in a controlled environment) is less than 100%, would that not be considered a failure too?
Also, it's not wise to be condescending to those less fortunate than you. You may find yourself eating a big helping of sh*t pie. To quote one of your Gorman alumus, LMFAO!
LAST COMMENT OF GORMAN FOOTBALL!!!
Aloha Bill_Gordon,
FYI, NO players get FREE TUITION!!! Just so their's no confusion, it's called FINANCIAL AID / ASSISTANCE. Most of the players PARENTS on the particulars mentioned above have to work two (2) - three (3) jobs of keeping them at Gorman.
Bottom line, first & foremost, Gormans EDUCATION is second to none. Meaning, not only do they excel in SPORTS, but first in the CLASSROOM.
Lastly, give CREDIT to everyone involved of Gormans NATIONAL RECOGNITION (Ranked Nationally in all Sports).
P.S.
Now comes basketball, baseball, & whatever's next. Stay tune Gorman HATERS, theirs much more to come.
God Bless & Love
Some of you Gorman Parents should be ashamed for your comments. Lets tell the truth. Gorman kids are not smarter, if your grades are not up to a certain level , you get kicked out of Gorman, If every school did the same thing , the graduation rates would be in the 90% for every school. Its easy to teach an A student to be a A student. How many kids have they taken from D student to A student. Not to many, they get kicked out.
One thing I guess they don't teach over there is humility. To put everyone down and have a superiority complex goes against the Catholic Church teachings, does it not. This is a Catholic School,right? Or money school, or sports school?
Lets not tarnish what Gorman stands for and stop being stupid.
A true educated person is well rounded, polite and respectful to all people.Not just book smart.
I feel sorry for the Gorman parents who read this and realize that they may know the idiots who made some of these remarks. Most Gorman parents are not idiots.
Congrats to the Gorman parents and kids. Congrats to the Liberty parents and kids.
This was a great year of football. Things will change for the better because of it.
LV55,
Actually there have been quite a few Gorman Kids go into the military service. In the last 6 years 7 in the Air Force Acadamy, 11 to the Naval Acadamy, and 4 into Westpoint. Which by the way is the highest exceptance rate from one school in Nevada and fourth most in the United States.
Parents,
If you want your kid to have the best shot at making it in college as an athlete or scholar you are welcome to visit the campus and ask for the test dates. If your kid is smart enough and can endure a punishing freshman load of work than do whatever you can to keep them there. You the parent has to commit to this too. There are no buses, your kid will need a private tutor to bridge the math gap between public and private. Practices and extra work on weekends is normal. 3+ hours of homework every night plus semester projects. There is a 100 community service hour requirement for all students before graduation. If you want this for your kid then fill out the paperwork and prepare for an amazing ride. I feel its worth every dollar. The best feeling is knowing I can quit my second job this June because my youngest will graduate Bishop Gorman. I did whatever it takes to assure my kids success. Its MY job, not the school district. Stop complaining.
Is Gorman that good or is the rest of the state that bad?
WHAT?! If you recruit all the best players in the valley you'll win the state championship? You don't say...
Very interesting that the proGorman crowd is all about hurling insults, "peasants," "morons," even playing the religion card "'Mr. Good Catholic," but no legitimate, reasonable argument that what they have is an overwhelming head start on all their competition in Nevada. Just admit it ... No one will take your championships away, you can have your "dynasty." Just stop pretending that you are truly playing on an even playing field.
When are the Varsity Quiz playoffs?
Question. Were the Nacuas good parents because they worked so hard to send their son to Gorman to play football, or were they bad parents because they left their other son at Liberty to play football?
Or maybe it is that Gorman wanted and needed a giant, athletic lineman and felt like they were already set at the QB position and didn't need the older boy.
Personally feel the parents did what they felt was right by both of their boys. But clearly the decision was made based solely on football, not costs or academics.
Good kids and good parents can succeed both at Gorman and in Public schools. If you are confident that Gorman is following all the rules, then you do Gorman a disservice by fighting with the people who do not. Stay above the fray. Guilty minds get defensive quickly.
By the way, i am not accusing Gorman of not playing by the rules. However, their rules as a private school are not the same rules as those of the public schools. They have an inherent advantage. "Fact. Deal with it."
Neither am I a parent of a public school student. True is true whether it stings the parents of the dynasty or not.
@Sinatra711 do you honestly thing the AIA didn't want Gorman? Everyone here thinks it was payback by someone in the NIAA. Gorman is 1-2 losing to both Brophy & Chandler Hamilton playing against Arizona teams. They'll get a nationally ranked Hamilton team next year to start the season if the NIAA allows them to play & I'm sure Brophy would love a trip to Vegas to start a home & home rivalry game.
That's it you Gorman haters. You're always a victim. Don't do anything to improve, just keep blaming the system. You take a test to get into Gorman. You don't score high, you don't get in. Gorman takes all religions and you will be wished a Merry Christmas under the Christmas tree. When Gorman was on Maryland Parkway, there were no facilities, just loyalty, family, and dedication. The Gorman grads that go into the military go in as officers. Keep complaining you victims.
ICR,
Its a spring event. Its televised on PBS. Gorman, Faith, and Meadows are the favorites. Humm, wonder why?
Unless Gorman is made to play outside the public school system in Nevada, then these 50 point blowouts will keep happening. Nobody wants that, not even the coaches or players of Gorman. The playing field needs to be level and the only way is for Gorman to be excluded from playing these lesser public schools. Public schools need to play public schools and Gorman needs to take their money and play better competition the whole season somewhere else. This is not fun for anyone. That means leave. Good riddence...
Ha, I remember the days on Maryland Parkway. Everyone forgets that we didn't always have the great facilities and campus we have today. The public schools had better facilities than we did.
Now that we've improved ourselves and have a better facility, the haters and jealous people come out of the woodwork to try and put us down and take away what we've earned. That's why I laugh at people like that. When others work hard and strive to improve themselves, they blame others (the system) and cry. It only makes us stronger. It's also a great example for my kids....they learn that there will always be people trying to bring them down to a lower level...they're taught to persevere and keep moving forward....not only on the football field, but in life.
People may call it elitism, I call it improving your position in life. My parents worked hard and sacrificed to send me to Gorman. My wife and I both sacrifice some of the good things in life and drive older cars so we can send our children to private schools....and it will pay off in the end.
Thanks for the laugh haters!
I don't think anyone will argue that Gorman has made big steps since the old Maryland days. It's apparent they are very successful. And since they are successful it will draw talent, involuntarily and those that are sought after. This talent pool includes the entire valley. This is perfectly legal; however, the ability of Gorman to attract top talent has left the zoned public schools to essentially settle for whatever talent resides in their zone. Hence, the drastic disparity between public schools and Gorman. The playing field has become so lopsided, public schools will never be able to complete. I admire Gorman for being able to get the top talent and improve their national image, but it has been at the expense of the public schools.
@Eddie James - that's the way it works in life isn't it? If you don't work to improve yourself, you'll get left behind. Nothing stays the same and if you don't adjust and move forward, you don't make it. It goes beyond High School football and sports. It works the same way in the corporate world and in the geo-political world as well.
In everyday life I could not agree with you more Anthony, but it doesn't provide a solution to the obvious disparity bewteen private and public schools. To level the playing field somewhat, I think school zones should be abolished. Granted, kids will migrate to the more successful programs, but it's better to have several schools capable of competing with Gorman than zero.
Hopefully the NIAA doesn't block Gorman from playing in the Sollenberger Classic next Fall against Hamilton. Hamilton is a public school that will definitely put a beat down on Gorman.
Hey Fan, you can keep trying to spread your lies in here about Liberty but they are as insignificant as your posts. Well you're not a trusted commenter anyways so your garbage will disappear from here in the very near future. You go ahead and keep looking down your nose at our Patriot program and we'll keep beatin the crap outta your Cougars! LOL...
BTW, congrats to the Gaels on your championship! Wish we could've given you a better game but it is what it is...no excuses. We got smashed! But it doesn't matter now because we'll start preparing again for next year! Best of luck to all the seniors who will be moving on! Go Patriots!!
@Jr Tauanuu - I wish everyone had the same attitude as you. Your team played a great game despite the final score. There's much respect from the other side of the ball, there's no doubt about that.
I want to make this clear, I am in no way saying that the kids or parents at Gorman dont work hard. We know you are machines(in a good way). Public schools are not allowed to improve the facilities as you are at Gorman. We cant just raise money and say lets build a new stadium, its not allowed. We are not allowed to do the things you do at Gorman. We work hard to but there are limits. Call the district and tell them you want to improve a school. See what happens next. Red tape.
We can not legally talk to any kid that is not in our district. Gorman has no district so they can talk to everyone.
To say that you work hard for your kids and that other don't is not true. Also if you are so proud of your accomplishments, why does it offend you when people suggest you go play in a more competitive league. It's really a complement that people believe you are good enough to compete in one of the top California leagues. Its not because you cheat or are a dirty program. You school is build like a lot of those schools.
Now with that said, we can learn something from Gorman. We (public schools) need to work harder and smarter. Go to camps and learn, get stronger. Thats something that Gorman has done. They set the bar weather its fair or not ,its set. We have to try to beat them, best players or not.
It is a vicious cycle for schools and sports. I went to Vegas High in 1962 and Gorman was a doormat. Things have evolved. But I will tell you now that as you haters go on and on that you should be proud that Vegas has a team ranked nationally. For I'll tell you the hottest teams in the nation are mostly private schools Even here where I live in Missouri one of the toughest schools year in and year out is a Catholic School. There is a cycle tho and it starts with coaches and desire of teams. Now one of our strongest teams is a public school. I just started following Nevada High School football again last year. I was suprised at all of it and the number of schools. One of the things that Gorman does is play top competition from other states. Just go to Florida, New Jersey, Texas, you will see top programs are supported by parents and they go that extra mile for their kids. No you can't recruit like they can in the public schools but a good coach and good facilities will make up for that. Congrats Gorman. My cousin's son was an alumni from there and and it is one of the schools i always root for. Of course my first love is Las Vegas High and then i had to transfer to Western mid season but i try to keep up with them.