MaxPreps 2012 Preseason Xcellent 25 Football preview: No. 11 Bishop Gorman

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) has quickly solidified its place among the nation’s elite teams under head coach Tony Sanchez.

The former California High (San Ramon, Calif.) head coach has molded Bishop Gorman into a talent mecca unafraid to take on some of the country’s premier traditional powerhouses. He’s led them toe-to-toe against De La Salle, Armwood and Servite.

However, 2012 will present the program’s most arduous challenge yet.

The Gaels will take on four quality out-of-state foes: Our Lady of Good Counsel, Bergen Catholic, Servite and St. Louis (Honolulu).



MaxPreps Preseason Top 25 Early Contenders

With quarterback Anu Solomon back, Bishop Gorman will once again be explosive on offense. Solomon, committed to Arizona, threw for 2,770 yards and 41 touchdowns last year. Though he’ll no longer have Shaq Powell (Duke) in the backfield with him, Powell’s likely replacement, Nate Starks, is just as talented.

The team needs to fill some spots up front after the departure of Ronnie Stanley, Ron Scoggins and Nick Strehlow. It should have no issues with skill players on the outside, as Sanchez believes this is his deepest team yet skill-wise.

While the offensive line is inexperienced, the defensive line will be a strength, with Zach Singer, Isaiah Nacua and Jake Smirk leading the way.

Frank Fertitta and Robert Stanley will anchor the linebackers, with the two other spots up for grabs. Starks doubles as a safety; he’ll play alongside cornerback Justin Sweet.

Local look: "Traveling to Hawaii, or even into Southern California, is no easy task for a high school team. But for Gorman, it’s become the norm — the Gaels have played six games outside Southern Nevada the past three years."
- Ray Brewer, Las Vegas Sun



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School size: Class 4A


Enrollment: 1,200 (approx.)


2011 finish: 16-1, Class 4A state champions


Head coach: Tony Sanchez


Career record: 78-24


Years at school: 3




Notable players coached:
OL Geoffrey Gibson (Cal)

TE Xavier Grimble (USC)

DE Jalen Grimble (Miami)

DB Evan Zeger (Washington)

OL Ronnie Stanley (Notre Dame)

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No. of returning starters: 6 (offense), 6 (defense)

Key losses:
OL Ronnie Stanley

OL Ron Scoggins

RB Shaq Powell

DL Zach Hutchins

Key returners:
QB Anu Solomon



RB/DB Nate Starks

DL Zach Singer

WR Ryan Smith

CB Justin Sweet

Key newcomers:
QB/WR Randall Cunningham

WR Keenan Smith



DB Nicco Fertitta

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Toughest game: Servite (Anaheim, Calif.). You could throw a dart at Bishop Gorman’s early-season schedule and land on a difficult matchup. Servite gets the nod because the Gaels will have to play on the road against a team that nearly beat them in Las Vegas last season.

Question mark: Can Bishop Gorman sustain the loss of multiple blue-chip recruits? Bishop Gorman lost two highly talented linemen and an outstanding running back. It has players that can step up, but with the team’s brutal schedule, it will be baptism by fire.

Local look: Bishop Gorman once again should be the class of Nevada football. Liberty, which scored 34 points against Bishop Gorman in the state semifinals, returns dynamic quarterback Kai Nacua and superb running back Niko Kapeli. Its offense could be even more explosive this fall.

Overall outlook: This Bishop Gorman squad is slightly behind where it was entering the season last year, but it has the potential to be even better than last year’s team. Cohesion on the offensive line is critical, as is the development of playmakers at linebacker. Given how tough the schedule is, an undefeated season, or even a one-loss season, could have the Gaels in consideration for a No. 1 finish.

Coach quote: "We’re really excited about this upcoming season. We’ve got a good handful of kids back. We feel like it could be one of our more explosive teams offensively and defensively, we have all four guys back up front. With the schedule we have, we feel like we have the opportunity to go out there and play at a very high level."
- Tony Sanchez, Bishop Gorman



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