‘High expectation’: Bishop Gorman eyes 5th straight football state title

Bishop Gorman defensive lineman Prince Williams was a sophomore among a young but talented group of starters on the Gaels defense in 2023.

It was during that season that Williams and Co. showcased their potential in a season that was capped off by Gorman winning a third straight state title and fourth mythical national championship.

Now in 2025, Gorman’s defense, with a mix of new players and multiyear starting upperclassmen, is just as dominant.

The Gaels (10-1) are the No. 1 seed in the inaugural Open Division state tournament. They will play Arbor View, the No. 3 seed, for the Open Division state championship at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Allegiant Stadium.

Gorman’s defense has allowed 57 points in 11 games this season with seven shutouts. Two of those shutouts came in a 38-0 road win at Kahuku (Hawaii) and a 14-0 road win at Santa Margarita (California). Santa Margarita is ranked No. 7 by MaxPreps and will play in next Friday’s CIF Southern Section championship game.

Williams said the bond among the leaders on defense started when they became starters in 2023, which included juniors Tamatoa Gaoteote, a linebacker, and four-star cornerback Hayden Stepp.

“That played a big role in the defense that we have this year,” said Williams, a senior who leads Gorman with 13 sacks. “We came into this year having a high expectation for ourselves as a group and wanting to be one of the top defenses in Bishop Gorman history.”

Gorman had shutouts in its first five games against Nevada opponents before Foothill scored in the first quarter of what turned into a 56-6 Gaels’ win in the Open Division state semifinal on Nov. 14.

The Gaels’ defense has 198 tackles for loss and 50 sacks. Senior five-star safety and Oregon commit Jett Washington has four of the team’s 12 interceptions.

“The preparation is always the same, no matter the team that we’re facing,” Williams said. “We faced a lot of good teams this year. The preparation stays the same. We don’t make any game bigger than what they are, but we don’t lower the standard. We’re excited to be in this game (against Arbor View).”

‘They’ve got dudes’

Arbor View’s offense will be another test for Gorman’s defense.

The Aggies (9-2) are averaging 41 points per game with an offense led by Utah commit and junior quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher, four-star junior tight end Zac Fares, four-star junior wide receiver Damani Warren and Sacramento State senior wide receiver Jayden Williams.

“They got everything that you could want from a team, it’s like playing an out-of-state team,” Gorman coach Brent Browner said of Arbor View, which defeated Liberty 41-28 in the other Open Division state semifinal. “They’ve got dudes. We just have to make sure we’re prepared.”

Gorman has plenty of firepower on offense to respond. Quarterback and Hawaii commit Maika Eugenio has completed 75 percent of his passes for 2,760 yards with 37 touchdowns. Eugenio has plenty of talented receivers, including seniors Kaina Watson, Isaiah Nickels, Massiah Mingo and sophomore Zyren Menor.

Eugenio is “a great quarterback. He’s super smart. He knows everything like the back of his hand,” said Watson, who added he’s played football with Eugenio since they were 3 years old.

“All the receivers, we get together in the offseason and that’s where we really click it off and where (Eugenio) gains trust in us and we trust in him that no matter what the case is, he’s always got our back and he definitely for sure leads our offense no matter where we’re at,” Watson added.

‘Why we’re doing all this’

Gorman has played in plenty of big games, but the Gaels had nearly three weeks off between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.

“They realize they haven’t been afforded as many games as they could have possibly had,” Browner said. “Waiting three weeks to play one game and then the very next game being the state championship, you understand that your opportunity to play this game are few and far between.”

Gorman is going for its fifth straight state title in the top classification and 22nd title in program history. But none of that matters to Browner, he said. Instead, it’s the 115 kids who have gone on to play college football since he took over the Gaels’ program after the 2019 season.

“That’s why we’re doing all this,” Browner said. “That’s why we can do all this stuff. It’s not to win a game. If you’re not doing it for the right reason, then you probably won’t get the right outcome. I think we do it for the right reason. I know that people don’t understand that.”

Williams is committed to Arizona and Washington is committed to Oregon. Among other notable college commits are Mingo (New Mexico), Nickels (Hawaii), Poe Purcell (UNLV) and Andreas Nicolaidis (UNLV).

“Everybody looks at the state championships, national championships, everybody’s looking at the wrong things,” Browner said. “That’s what kind of drives all these other problems that are going on with the system. What are you doing this for? We’re doing it (to get kids ready for college).”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.