Top-ranked Bishop Gorman routs Desert Oasis

Bishop Gorman football coach Kenny Sanchez wants another state championship, and his team took a step in the right direction Friday night.

Amod Cianelli rushed 11 times for 118 yards and three touchdowns — all in the first half — to help the top-ranked Gaels roll to a convincing 42-7 home Southwest League victory over Desert Oasis.

Sanchez, whose team opened the season at 1-3 against national powerhouses, said his squad is committed to make the improvements necessary to win a 10th consecutive title.

“We obviously still need to get better,” Sanchez said. “It’s not about our opponents. We want to make sure we stay sharp and keep executing. You always get something out of a win.”

The Gaels (3-3, 2-0 Southwest) scored on each of their five first-half possessions. They needed just two offensive plays to find the end zone, going ahead 7-0 on a 37-yard sprint up the middle by Cianelli.

After a 40-yard touchdown pass from Micah Bowens to Rome Odunze midway through the first quarter, Cianelli added a 12-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0 late in the quarter.

He added a 3-yard scoring run early in the second quarter to make it 28-0.

“That’s two weeks in a row he’s had at least 100 yards,” Sanchez said of Cianelli. “He’s getting better, and it tells me our offensive line is also getting better.”

Gorman’s defense, which held the Diamondbacks to 55 first-half yards, forced a punt on the next Desert Oasis drive, and Odunze returned it 53 yards to make it 35-0 at halftime.

Ikaika Ragsdale did most of Gorman’s rushing in the second half, and he scored on a 23-yard run late in the third quarter. He carried nine times for 68 yards to help Gorman.

Bowens completed 5 of 6 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Christian Vaughn led the Diamondbacks (4-2, 0-2) with 42 rushing yards on 17 carries and had a 6-yard scoring run to put Desert Oasis on the board with 2:15 to go.