Gorman, McQueen advance to state championship game

Either Bishop Gorman or McQueen has won the Class 4A state high school football championship in the last three years.

Either Gorman or McQueen will win this year's title, too.

The Gaels (12-2) and Lancers (12-1) will meet on Dec. 4 at 12:07 p.m. at Sam Boyd Stadium after each team won a state semifinal today.

Gorman collected a 28-10 win at Palo Verde (12-1) in the Sunset Region title game. McQueen battled through a snowy second half in Reno for a 7-6 win over Liberty (11-2).

The Gaels trailed 3-0 before Jarrett Solomon hit Jamir Tillman on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 1.4 seconds left in the first half to give Gorman the lead for good.

Gorman ran its lead to 28-3 on touchdown runs by Jordan Welte and Shaquille Powell, and a 74-yard TD pass from Solomon to Ryan Smith.

Brandon Wright scored on a TD run in the fourth quarter for the Panthers.

In Reno, the Lancers made a stop on a 2-point conversion play with 6:30 to play to preserve their win.

McQueen took a 7-0 first-quarter lead on a 68-yard halfback pass from Nick Shepard to Rollins Stallworth, and Tyler Fritsen's extra point.

With snow falling and making the artificial surface at McQueen more like a skating rink, Liberty's Niko Kapeli scored on a 2-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.

The Patriots went for two points and the lead rather than trying to tie the game, and came up short.

Liberty had the ball at the McQueen 35 with 2:30 to play, but an incomplete fourth-down pass ended the threat.