Bishop Gorman defensive back Jett Washington (5) intercepts a pass intended for Kahuku (Hawaii) High School’s Noah Ah You (33) during the second half of a high school football game at Bishop Gorman’s Fertitta Field Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. Bishop Gorman linebacker Landon McComber (11) looks on at right.
Published Friday, Aug. 16, 2024 | 11:59 p.m.
Updated Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 | 7:53 a.m.
Bishop Gorman quarterback Melvin Spicer rolled out of the pocket midway through the first quarter, looked down field and let loose on a pass attempt.
The result: A rare interception, marking the first time a Gorman quarterback had thrown an interception since the 2022 season.
This, after all, was Week 1.
The Gaels, the defending national champions, had the same problems as every other high school football team opening the season Friday night in America in that they were inconsistent.
But they still won — and won convincingly against a great opponent, beating Kahuku of Hawaii 33-7.
Spicer, a senior, and junior Maika Eugenio took turns at quarterback leading the Gorman offense.
In addition to the interception, the Gaels in the second quarter also turned the ball over on downs inside their 10-yard line. There were also a few plays when the offensive line — considered the nation’s best with noted college recruits at most spots — had protection breakdowns to give up a sack. And they had a fumble early in the third quarter that gave Kahuku a short field for its only points.
Part of that was Kahuku, the nation’s 30th ranked team. And part of that was it being the initial week of the season.
“It was pretty much how I thought the first game would be like,” coach Brent Browner said. “Last year, we had one of the most potent offenses in the country. Our offense this year needed to get its rhythm. It was the first game in the offense for a lot of the kids, and we have two kids (at quarterback) who hadn’t played a full game.”
But as the game went on, signs of Gorman’s elite status became obvious, especially on defense.
Kahuku had the ball five times in the first half — they ran three plays each possession before punting. Additionally, Gorman recorded four interceptions, including two by standout safety Jett Washington.
“We were taking it one play at a time and playing as a team,” Washington said. “We were relying on our brother and not caring about personal accolades”
The offense had flashes of good play, including Spicer rebounding to complete 11 of 14 passes for nearly 200 yards and touchdown passes to Greg Tolar (50 yards) and Myles Norman (2 yards). Eugenio had two rushing touchdowns.
The schedule gets tougher with Gorman traveling to Florida next week to face St. Thomas Aquinas, who MaxPreps says is the nation’s 11th ranked team. It’s a big spot — the game at 1 p.m. will be broadcast on ESPN.
And Gorman, with Friday night’s opener in the books, should have some of those first-game hiccups out of the way.
“We got better and better. That is a top-30 team,” Browner said of Kahuku. “We needed this. This is why we schedule games like this. It’s going to be a battle (against the nonleague opponents) if you want to win it all. We needed a game like this. Our kids needed to see that.”