High school football: Bishop Gorman schedule headlined by Mater Dei showdown

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) this week released its 2022 non-league football schedule and it's loaded with five out-of-state opponents stretching from Georgia to California to Hawaii and headlined by reigning MaxPreps National Champion Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).

The Gaels host Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah), a school that has gone 63-3 since Eric Kjar became head coach in 2017, in their opener. The Chargers have won three state titles over the last four years and four-star quarterback Isaac Wilson, younger brother of the New York Jets' Zach Wilson, is expected to take over under center for the Chargers.

After Corner Canyon, it's time to get your popcorn ready as the 2021 MaxPreps National Champions Monarchs hit Las Vegas.

The Monarchs went 12-0 last season and beat five teams ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25. This is the third matchup since 2017 between the two national powers and the Gaels are seeking their first win against the Southern California power.

In 2017, JT Daniels led Mater Dei to a 35-21 win that snapped the Gaels 55-game win streak in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown. The following year, Bryce Young led the SoCal power to a 42-0 victory in Las Vegas.

Week 6-10 — League games

After hosting Utah and California, Bishop Gorman hits the air and travels to Hawaii to face St. Louis (Honolulu) for the second straight year. The Crusaders' streak of four consecutive state titles ended last year with a 49-14 loss to Kahuku in the Open Division championship. The Gaels rolled to a 42-21 win in the 2021 season opener and this is the fourth matchup since 2012 as St. Louis has lost two of the previous three meetings.

Bishop Gorman's Week 4 matchup has been circled for a year as the Gaels look for redemption hosting Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.). The Huskies pulled off one of the best comebacks of all-time last season erasing a 24-7 deficit in the final 65 seconds for a wild 25-24 win. Hamilton is coming off an 11-1 season and finished ranked at No. 23 in the MaxPreps Top 25.

The final preleague game for the Gaels features Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.) in the first meeting against a Peach State opponent in the MaxPreps era. The Broncos went 10-3 with a quarterfinal appearance in the Georgia's AAAAAAA bracket last season. Brookwood has one of the top-rated quarterbacks in the Class of 2023 with four-star Dylan Lonergan under center.

The Gaels schedule will place them in the mix to compete for the 2022 MaxPreps National Championship as they have the talent to compete at that level, headlined by 2021 MaxPreps Nevada Player of the Year, Zachariah Branch. The 2023 USC commit had over 1,000 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns.

Other key returners include starting quarterback Micah Alejado, a second team selection on the MaxPreps Sophomore All-America squad. The defense is led by 2023 Notre Dame commit Justyn Rhett, four-star safety Kodi Decambra, three-star linebacker Palaie Faoa and last year's leading tackler Jamih Otis.

The Gaels finished 12-1 last year and won their 12th state title since 2007. They finished No. 15 in the MaxPreps Top 25 and are tied with De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) and Central (Miami) with the most Top 25 finishes since 2010 with nine.