Preview: Bishop Gorman Gaels vs. Liberty Patriots
Bishop Gorman is 8-1 against Liberty since November of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. After both having extra time off, both teams will dust off their jerseys to challenge one another at 7:00 p.m. on November 21st. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Bishop Gorman comes in on 11 and Liberty on seven.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Bishop Gorman walked away with it. They really took it to Coronado for the full four quarters, racking up a 63-12 victory at home. Considering Bishop Gorman has won nine matches by more than 20 points this season, two weeks ago's blowout was nothing new.
Micah Kaapana was on fire: he rushed for 189 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries. Another player making a difference was Micah Alejado, who threw for 214 yards and three touchdowns on only 17 passes.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Coronado to a paltry 87 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Bishop Gorman's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid the passer out five times before it was all said and done. Keytrin Harris was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up three sacks himself.
Meanwhile, Liberty faced Shadow Ridge in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Liberty strolled past Shadow Ridge with points to spare two weeks ago, taking the game 27-8. Liberty pushed the score to 21-0 by the end of the third, a deficit Shadow Ridge cut but never quite recovered from.
Liberty's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tyrese Smith led the charge by throwing for 181 yards and four touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden Robertson, who picked up 77 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Bishop Gorman's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-0. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.2 points per game. As for Liberty, their win bumped their record up to 10-2.
Everything came up roses for Bishop Gorman against Liberty in their previous matchup back in September as the squad secured a 49-6 win. Does Bishop Gorman have another victory up their sleeve, or will Liberty turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
