Shadow Ridge is on an eight-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Bishop Gorman is on a six-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Mustangs will welcome the Gaels at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Friday, Shadow Ridge got the win against Palo Verde by a conclusive 41-17. The Mustangs pushed the score to 34-3 by the end of the third, a deficit the Panthers cut but never quite recovered from.
Shadow Ridge didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Trevin Young and Nate Giles. Young got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Shadow Ridge, adding 11 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Hawkin Ledingham, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Bishop Gorman put their dominant defense on display in the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Friday. They blew past Somerset Academy Losee 44-0. Given the Gaels' advantage in MaxPreps' Nevada football rankings (they are ranked first, while the Lions are ranked 42nd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Shadow Ridge better keep an eye on Maika Eugenio. He was instrumental in Bishop Gorman's win, throwing for 110 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Eugenio is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in each of the last three games he's played.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Bishop Gorman proved: they limited Somerset Academy Losee to a paltry 2.4 yards per carry. The team can thank Tamatoa Gaoteote for the heroic effort on defense: he. Bishop Gorman didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 12.
Shadow Ridge's win bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Bishop Gorman, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 8-1.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Shadow Ridge has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 319.4 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Bishop Gorman has preferred to attack from the air: they average 267.9 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Shadow Ridge was dealt a bruising 48-17 defeat at the hands of Bishop Gorman in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Can the Mustangs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
