Gaels start fast, rout Shadow Ridge

Two years ago, Bishop Gorman opened its season with a 4-1 mark against non-conference foes, including the then-No. 1 ranked team in the nation in Miami's Booker T. Washington. But in the Gaels' first game with a league opponent, they found themselves in a scrap with Legacy before pulling away for a 13-point win.

Kenny Sanchez was an assistant under his brother Tony at the time, but he remembers how flat the Gaels came out for the game.

Now the head coach of Gorman, Sanchez told his team all week to take winless Shadow Ridge as serious as the Gaels had taken their previous out-of-state opponents. Thus, No. 1 Gorman raced out to a 35-0 first quarter lead and never looked back en route to a 70-7 win over the host Mustangs.

"We talked about it all week that we didn't want to get Buster Douglased. (Mike) Tyson probably just forgot to work leading up to that fight," said Sanchez, referencing one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. "No, it's not as rigorous and trying as out-of-state games, but at the same time it is because you gotta keep the kids focused for the long haul.

"We had a great five-week run with out-of-state games and now we get back into league, but it's only week six of what we hope to be a 15-week season. We told our kids we're not even halfway there. We're still playing well and we're peaking at the right time."

Eight players scored for the nation's top-ranked team, led by receiver Tyjon Lindsey, whose two receptions on the night (24 and 31 yards) went for touchdowns.

Running back Jonathan Shumaker also scored twice, on runs of 19 and 2 yards, and quarterback Tate Martell completed 4 of 9 pass attempts for 84 yards and two TDs for the Gaels (6-0, 1-0 Southwest League).

But it was Gorman's stingy defense that got the scoring started, when Brendan Radley-Hiles intercepted Shadow Ridge quarterback Kody Presser three plays into the game, and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.

After stifling the Mustangs on their next drive, it took just two plays for Martell and Lindsey to hook up on a 24-yard touchdown and extend the lead to 14-0. It was the first of the duo's two scores in the opening period.

Presser fumbled the snap away on Shadow Ridge's next drive, and three plays later, Gorman's Jonathan Shumaker took it in from two yards out to make it 21-0 with 5 minutes, 35 seconds left in the first quarter.

And while Presser was under duress against Gorman's much bigger defense, the freshman quarterback also was a bright spot for the Mustangs (0-6, 0-1 Southwest).

"He's gonna be a stud. He played hard and he played his guts out," Sanchez said. "He had a couple of really good runs against our first string defense that not a lot of teams that we've played have been able to move the ball against. We've got a pretty good defense this year. And I think he's going to be a really good football player."

Presser finished 2 of 11 passing for 15 yards and one touchdown for Shadow Ridge. He also threw an interception and ran for 18 yards on six carries.

Avery Nellems' interception of Gorman backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the third quarter set up the Mustangs' lone score.

Starting from Gorman's 14-yard-line, Presser hit Amaru Mitchell on the first play of the drive to erase the shutout.