Bishop Gorman routs Bonanza to start league play

Bishop Gorman’s two losses during its national schedule may have given their Nevada opponents a glimmer of hope.

Not so fast.

The Gaels, who are ranked 11th nationally, showed they are still the class of the state as they opened Class 4A Southwest League play with a resounding 58-0 road win over Bonanza on Saturday.

“It’s really important that we add on to how we played in our first four games,” Bishop Gorman head coach Kenny Sanchez said. “We get in-state and now it’s about making the playoffs. The first four had nothing to do with that, so we still gotta do well in league and we got to continue to get better. I thought it was a good outing today.”

Bishop Gorman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson started the scoring with a 40-yard run to put the Gaels (3-2, 1-0) up 6-0 early in the first quarter. Bonanza’s first possession ended when Bishop Gorman’s Micah Bowens intercepted a Kyle Allison pass and returned it 20 yards to give the Gaels a 13-0 lead.

The rest of the first quarter was played deep inside Bonanza’s territory as the Gaels exploded for 41 points in the first seven minutes, 15 seconds.

Thompson-Robinson threw touchdown passes to Jalen Nailor and Brevin Jordan, Jordan Lee returned an interception for a touchdown, and Zavien Ragsdale scored a rushing touchdown.

After Bishop Gorman went up 41-0 and the clock started running, the Gaels emptied the bench.

“The good thing is we had a lot of players who didn’t play in the first four weeks so we get to get them on those guys,” Sanchez said. “Coaches always watch the film, and there are always mistakes. We got to make sure that we correct those things. No matter what the team is you’re playing, you’ll still see a different look. They still give you something you haven’t seen before and you’ve got to correct those.”

Bowens, who is also the backup quarterback, led the Gaels rushing with 10 carries for 84 yards and on three scoring drives. Bowens could have had another scoring drive, but the Gaels decided to take a knee at the Bonanza 12 with a minute remaining in the first half.

“I just wanted to show what I could do and I got a chance today,” the sophomore quarterback said. “I just wasn’t in the groove like I wish I could have been, but I did pretty good.”

Matthew De Los Reyes had five carries for 67 yards and two touchdowns for the Gaels. Lee had a second interception in the second quarter, and JoJuan Clairborne had two interceptions.

Shamarion Bellegarde had two catches for 33 yards to lead the Bengals (1-4, 0-2).