Defense secures Gorman victory

But the Gaels still came up with a pair of defensive plays in the second half to help them nail down a 56-34 victory over Liberty in the Class 4A state football semifinals at Rancho.

Gorman (15-1) plays Reed (12-1) in the state final at 12:15 p.m. Saturday at Damonte Ranch High in Reno.

“We just kind of hung in there,” Gaels coach Tony Sanchez said. “We knew the defense would come up with a couple plays, and they did.”

Ben Guida made the first big defensive play for the Gaels. With Gorman leading 35-27, he picked off a Kai Nacua pass and returned it 22 yards to the Liberty 8.

Gorman’s Shaquille Powell ran for a touchdown on the next play to push the lead to two scores, and Liberty wouldn’t really threaten again.

“I was just dropping back in my zone, reading my keys and trying to make a play for my team and I was able to jump the pass,” Guida said.

The Gaels came up with another key defensive play on the next drive when Zack Singer and Marc Philippi combined to sack Nacua for a 10-yard loss on third-and-9 from the Gorman 16. The sack pushed Liberty out of field-goal range, and Nacua’s desperation pass on fourth-and-19 fell incomplete.

“Liberty, they’re a great team, a great offense,” Guida said. “We just had to step up and make a big-time play for our team.”

Liberty coach Rich Muraco said Guida’s interception was especially tough for the Patriots (11-2) to overcome.

“It’s why I’m not a big proponent of passing the ball,” Muraco said. “But we had to in that situation, and they made a good play on the ball and picked it off and that really swung the momentum right there in the game.”

Gorman’s offense didn’t need much help. The Gaels racked up 651 yards on just 47 plays.

“We wanted to come out and show them that we weren’t afraid of them,” Muraco said. “We wanted to basically go right at them and be physical. We thought that would be the ticket to get the win. Unfortunately, we just didn’t hold up our end of the bargain on defense. Shaquille Powell’s unbelievable.”

Powell rushed for 265 yards on 17 carries, including touchdowns of 11, 42, 1, 8 and 41 yards.

“There’s nothing that (Powell) does that doesn’t amaze us,” Sanchez said. “Shaquille Powell’s a special player; he’ll be a special player on Saturdays. He’s got to be one of the best backs this state has ever seen.”

Gorman led 28-14 late in the first half, but Liberty was able to drive 70 yards on eight plays, capped by a 14-yard pass from Nacua to Jared Tuilagi with 9.4 seconds to play that cut the lead to 28-20.

The Patriots went for an onside kick following the touchdown, and the move nearly backfired. The kick didn’t travel the required 10 yards, and Gorman recovered at the Liberty 43.

Jarrett Solomon hit Ryan Smith with a 40-yard pass on the next play, and Smith was pushed out of bounds at the 3 with 0.6 seconds left.

Liberty was flagged for encroachment, but still stuffed Powell in the backfield on the final play of the half.

The Patriots got as close as 28-27 after Jordan Kapeli’s 3-yard run with 6:38 left in the third quarter. But Gorman’s defense quickly turned it into a two-score game, and Liberty didn’t threaten again.

“We knew it was going to be a tough, physical football game,” Sanchez said. “But offensively, we knew if it turned into a shootout, that was kind of to our advantage.”

Solomon was 9 of 15 passing for 209 yards, including TDs to Jamir Tillman (6 yards) and Terrence Chambers (29).

Niko Kapeli rushed for 157 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown, to lead Liberty, which lost in the state semifinals for the second straight year. Niko Kapeli also caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Nacua.

Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587.