Lessons learned from Hamilton-Bishop Gorman

MitchMash: Hamilton rumbled, Gorman fumbled but very few big stumbles in national showdown.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Mitch Stephens
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Aug 24, 2010, 10:45am
The Top 10 things we learned from Hamilton's (Chandler, Ariz.) 24-17 win over Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) during Saturday's national showdown in Flagstaff:

1. You can't judge top-tier talent by the eye test alone: Not if they are going against each other. Especially in the trenches. The much-ballyhooed matchup pitting Hamilton's bookend Division I tackles, 6-foot-5, 282-pound Texas-bound Christian Westerman and 6-6, 250-pound Oregon-bound Tyler Johnstone against Gorman's Division I defensive ends, USC-commit Jalen Grimble (6-4, 255) and uncommitted Bryson Mook (6-2, 235) was a wash.

"Nobody really stood out," Gorman coach Tony Sanchez said. "Nobody got beat badly. No one made a real push. No one dominated."

{VIDEO_1bf8931e-1d59-41a8-8281-443abe700dd6,floatRightWithBar}Grimble had a couple big sticks, finished with eight tackles and a fumble recovery. At other times he was nowhere to be found, which is exactly what the big boys from Hamilton wanted. 

Westerman and Johnstone never looked particularly dominating, but then again it's rare when offensive linemen stand out. It goes with the thankless job. Both helped give quarterback Kyren Poe loads of time on long streak completions of 58 and 47 yards that set up two touchdowns, though. Poe was sacked only once all night.

Gorman's vaunted and huge offensive line — its members average 6-3 and 291 — also looked massive and impressive during pregame warm-ups, but certainly didn't dominate the smaller Huskies, who allowed just 223 yards and one touchdown to a team that scored almost 800 points last season.

"I was proud of our defense," said Hamilton coach Steve Belles. "It's been some time since someone has given up just one TD to them."

Coincidently — or not — the last time was the last trip to Arizona, a 16-6 loss to Brophy College Prep (Phoenix) to open the 2008 season in the third Sollenberger Classic.

2. Shaq is back: Shaquille Powell obviously didn't rest on his sophomore laurels. After amassing 1,555 yards and 29 touchdowns as a 10th grader, the 5-10, 181-pound back looked like the best offensive weapon on the field with 199 yards on 29 carries and his team's only TD. He did it not only against a stout, flying defense, but in 7,000-foot altitude. "Yes, I'm tired," he admitted. "I'm just ready to get back to the next game and bounce back."


{VIDEO_18c36444-bdf1-4a09-a0f2-3eaf1e545049,floatRightWithBar}3. Speed kills: The one area we thought Gorman might have an advantage was speed. We were wrong. Hamilton has game-breakers all over the field – receiver/running back Kendyl Taylor, receiver Tanner Clay, running back Jai Johnson and of course Malcolm Holland, whose zig-zagging 82-yard punt return for a TD turned the game around. Also, Hamilton's speed in the secondary – led by Cedric Parker and Elijah White - prohibited Powell from busting any big ones. Powell's 60-yard sprint around left end on the game's second possession would have likely been six points in any other game, but he was chased down and Gorman had to settle for a field goal.

4. Kickers kicking it: With all the emphasis on the lines and double-digit Division I stars, the team’s kickers actually stood out. Gorman’s Colin Ditsworth booted three balls into the end zone on kickoffs and of course drilled three first-half field goals, including a 42-yarder on the last play of the second quarter to give his team its only lead, 9-7. Clay doesn't have an eye-opening leg by any means, but fleet, 6-4 and 180 pounds, he's got to be one of the nation
s most athletic kickers. He definitely looks like a receiver at the college level.

5. Gorman won't sulk: The loss stung Gorman, but Sanchez, as upbeat a coach as we know, will easily right the ship. "The nice thing is we have a bunch of games that are still on the schedule," he said. "Am I disappointed? Absolutely. But at the end of the day you've got to cowboy-up and go back to work." No time to pout with California powers Del Oro (Loomis, Calif.) and De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) next on the schedule. Hamilton players were impressed – "They're great and very physical," Poe said. "They have nothing to hang their heads about."

Said Holland: "Wow. That's a big physical team. We won't see anything like them any more."

6. Hamilton won't bask: Belles, very similar to Sanchez in demeanor, is a strong and upbeat presence. He kept focusing on his team's imperfections, but reveled in its character. "We were our own worst enemy a lot tonight," he said. "I’m most proud of how we competed. Our kids like to compete. When we are down or facing adversity, our kids have responded. I'll take that any day." Poe said moments after his game-winning touchdown, "It's a great feeling. I'm going to hold on to it until tomorrow morning and start thinking about (next opponent) St. Mary's (Phoenix)."

7. Scary bright future: With nine offensive players returning next year – it loses only a center and tight end – Gorman might score than 800 points in 2011. Especially with sophomore quarterback Jarrett Solomon in charge. He didn't have a very good game, especially statistically – 6 of 17, 58 yards, interception – but his poise and determination is obvious. He converted a crucial fourth-down run on its game-tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter and his two-point conversion scramble was mammoth. "He's fantastic," Sanchez said. "Our offense is going to be fine. We only have two senior starters. But we don't expect to just grow week-to-week. We expect to win."

8. Domes are OK: Not a big dome fan in general, but the Walkup Skydome was a great venue for the event. The 22,000-seat stadium was about one-third full, but it got loud several times. However, when still, like when the ball was punted high before Holland's key return, it sounded more like a basketball gym than a football arena. Only thing missing were squeaky sneakers. Huge replay screen at either end was extremely helpful, though the clock going out during almost entire fourth quarter was equally distracting. The time was kept on the field and difficult on both coaches. Luckily there was not a meaningful last-minute drive.

9. Poe is no faux: Other than Powell, no one had big numbers, not even the game's hero Poe, who appears a true field general. He accounted for only one touchdown, threw for a pedestrian 169 yards, but he has excellent feet to evade pressure, run the option and best of all, is in command at all times. Even during interviews. The first-year starter is very thoughtful, composed and engaged. He's also tough. He never even wiped a one-inch horizontal gash right above his chin.

10. Hard to beat: We heard some fantastic tales of the late and great Barry Sollenberger, the one-in-a-million and Arizona prep sports historian whom the game is named after. The event, which now pits defending Arizona and Nevada state champs, will be hard pressed to match the hoopla around the 2010 game that pitted Top 25 national squads. Then again, we could easily see a rematch next year, possibly in Las Vegas.

Mitch Stephens is a senior writer and national columnist for MaxPreps.com. His MitchMash column appears weekly. He can be reached at mstephens@maxpreps.com. 

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