Healthy Powell gives Gorman a full arsenal in showdown with Palo Verde

Coming into the season, Shaquille Powell was certainly Bishop Gorman’s biggest offensive weapon, if not the team’s best player.

But even when Powell missed five games because of a hamstring injury, the Gaels didn’t miss a beat.

Now healthy, the junior running back gives the Gaels (11-2) yet another weapon when they travel to Palo Verde (12-0) for the Sunrise Region football championship at 1 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s good to have him back,” Gorman coach Tony Sanchez said of Powell, who has carried the ball 16 times in two playoff games. “He’s that threat, and the more (carries) he gets, the better he gets.”

Powell has just one touchdown since Oct. 1, but the Gaels have outscored opponents 388-20 in seven wins since then.

Without Powell, Gorman had to find other options in the backfield, and several responded. Junior Justin Sweet has rushed for 731 yards and nine TDs, and freshman Nathen Starks (317 yards, four TDs) and senior Jordan Welte (289 yards, seven TDs) have provided strong options, as well.

“Obviously, he’s a special player. We definitely missed him, but the other guys did a good job,” Sanchez said. “What it created is we’ve got more than one guy. Now we have four or five guys that we’re confident getting the ball to. It makes us a better team.”

Without Powell, who has run for 1,059 yards and 15 TDs, the Gaels also leaned more heavily on the passing game, guided by sophomore quarterback Jarrett Solomon. Solomon has passed for 2,060 yards and 36 TDs while throwing just three interceptions.

Sophomore Ryan Smith has been the top receiver, with 32 catches for 709 yards and 13 TDs.

“People just have done everything they can to stop our run game. They’ve loaded the box, and Solomon’s just picked people apart,” Sanchez said. “We’ve done a good job passing and catching.”

The passing game might be the biggest concern for Palo Verde, which has allowed just six points in two playoff victories. The Panthers also shut out then-undefeated Arbor View in their regular-season finale.

“If we keep the pass game down, we can make sure we take care of the run,” Palo Verde senior linebacker Demetrius Ballard said. “It’s just the pass game. Our (defensive backs) have been working hard.”

Palo Verde senior linebacker Austin Whalen said practices have been more fierce as the team prepared for the defending Class 4A state champs.

“Gorman’s the best team we’ve seen all year, no doubt,” Whalen said. “So we had to keep practice really intense. They’re a real physical team — big and physical — so we’ve basically been preparing for a war.”

Five of Gorman’s top six offensive linemen weigh 283 pounds or more, making the Gaels an imposing opponent.

“I look at it as a challenge, and it’s the biggest challenge I’ve faced all year,” Whalen said. “And I get up for challenges, so I’m  excited to go up against that big offensive line.”

While the Panthers try to stop a balanced Gorman attack, they’ll pound the ball on the ground with their double-wing offense.

“They’re going to run the ball a ton, and run it some more after that,” Sanchez said.

Whalen, who also plays fullback, said extending drives and keeping Gorman’s offense off the field could be the key.

“If we can get some long drives and chew up the clock like we’ve been doing all season, that’ll be the biggest part of the game,” Whalen said.