National powers will play home-and-home series starting in Las Vegas next season; Grant on the horizon?
A new
Servite (Anaheim, Calif.) High School football fan base has been located 265 miles due east.
Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas and Servite, two nationally recognized programs, have agreed on a home-and-home series starting next season.
Shaquille Powell dazzled De La Salle
and now hopes to wow another Golden
State opponent.
Photo by Dennis Lee
Gorman, which just won its second straight Nevada state crown and third in four years, will host Servite on Oct. 1. The program's freshmen and junior varsity teams will also travel, according to Gorman coach Tony Sanchez.
The former Bay Area high school standout and coach tried to get a second game with
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) arranged after the two teams tangled on Sept. 25 – a 28-14 De La Salle win.
When that fell through – "We looked at who is the best team in Southern California," Sanchez said. "Needless to say we're rooting for Servite to win the Pac-5 and beat De La Salle in state championship."
Indeed Servite – No. 12 in the MaxPreps Freeman rankings – is playing Mission Viejo for Southern Section's coveted Pac-5 title on Saturday, with the winner likely be selected for the CIF Open Division Bowl game, likely against No. 10 De La Salle.
The better credentials Servite earns this season, the better for Gorman when the Friars arrive next season. Gorman will likely be a top 10 team nationally coming into the season.
The Gaels went 13-2 this season and outscored opponents 692-101. Their only two losses were to nationally ranked De La Salle and Hamilton (Ariz.). They've won 28 of their last 30 and outscored opponents 1,490 to 236 or an average score of 50-8.
Gorman returns returns 10 offensive starters, including two of the top players nationally from the Class of 2012, running backs
Shaquille Powell and offensive linemen
Ronnie Stanley. From the same class, quarterback Jarrett Solomon has thrown for 4,910 yards, 61 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Servite quarterback Cody Pittman
figures to return as a starter
next season.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Coached by Troy Thomas, Servite has won 24 straight games and is the defending California Division II Bowl champion.
"Coach Thomas has done a fantastic job there and Servite is a great program," Sanchez said. "It's an honor and a huge challenge for our program to play against them."
Gorman hasn't had much competition in state and is still actively seeking another game against a national power the last week of August. It will open the season playing the Arizona champion – likely Hamilton again – in the fifth Sollenberger Classic.
An attractive matchup may be Northern California power Grant, which also features a highly touted running back-defensive back named Shaq – Shaq Thompson.
Sanchez said he has not been in contact with Grant, ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation all season until a 41-20 loss to Folsom on Friday.
"But we will now," he said.
