With Vegas temperatures sizzling at 103 around kickoff, Gorman stormed to a 21-0 halftime lead only to see Bosco tie the game at 28 with 9:50 left to go in the fourth quarter.
But Gorman quarterback
Ace Amina found
Corey Hinton on a crossing route for a 54-yard strike and kicker
Cason Clark booted an insurance 49-yard field goal to stave off the comeback bid.
Bishop Gorman running back Trey Washington looks to break a tackle in first-half action of his team's 38-28 win Friday over No. 1 St. John Bosco in the MaxPreps Game of the Week.(PHOTO: Jenni Webber)
For Bishop Gorman it was the first win in a 1 vs. 2 battle after losing twice previously to
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). It
was the 16th time since 2000 that the top two teams in the MaxPreps
Top 25 met and seventh time a No. 2 team came out with a victory. Five of the
previous winners have gone on to be crowned national
champions at season's end.
The Gaels took a first-half lead on two touchdown passes from Amina and a pair of defensive turnovers, one of which resulted in another touchdown.
Amina hit
Noah Cole for an 8-yard TD to cap a seven-play, 80-yard opening drive.
Zyren Menor then came down with a highlight reel grab, making three defenders miss for a 27-yard score that ended an 11-play, 60 yard drive.
While Bishop Gorman was hitting on all cylinders, the St. John Bosco offense was stuck in neutral. The top-ranked Braves totaled 33 yards of offense in the first half. Their first snap of the 2026 season sailed past quarterback
Koa Malau'ulu and two plays later Gorman linebacker
Jordan Lutu dislodged the ball as
J'Siah Leasau fell on it for the defensive score.
Gorman celebrates a strip sack in the end zone that resulted in a first-half touchdown. (PHOTO: Jenni Webber)
But head coach Jason Negro's team stormed out of the locker room, scoring on its first three possessions of the second half and getting a 45-yard punt return from
D.J. Tubbs to knot the score at 28 with 9:52 remaining. Malau'ulu threw TD passes to Tubbs, who finished with four receptions for 78 yards, and
Kuika Moaalii.
A junior making his second start, Amina completed 15 of 23 attempts for 221 yards and four scores.
In
its second season, the MaxPreps Game of the Week showcases high school
football's premiere matchups from across the country. In the coming
weeks, the MaxPreps Game of the Week with Jeff Kurtz and Zack Poff will
feature
Duncanville (Texas) at No. 18
Allen (Texas) on Aug. 28,
St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) at
Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) on Sept. 4,
Centennial (Corona, Calif.) at No. 9
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) on
Sept. 11,
Buford (Ga.) at
Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) on Sept. 18,
St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) at
Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) on Sept. 25 and four more exciting matchups to be announced.
