No. 5 Gorman looks to rebound from rare loss: ‘We’re going to grind’

Bishop Gorman’s football team will attempt to do something Friday it hasn’t in two years: Bounce back after a loss.

The Gaels had their 27-game winning streak snapped with a 31-15 loss at No. 1 Mater Dei (California) on Sept. 8. It was Gorman’s first defeat since a 24-21 home loss to the Monarchs on Aug. 26, 2022.

The Gaels, who dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 in the MaxPreps rankings Monday, return to the field for their final out-of state-game Friday. They’ll host No. 12 Orange Lutheran at 7 p.m.

“We’re going to grind and try to play better football,” Gorman coach Brent Browner said. “Last game, I made a lot of mistakes. I took a long time to fix those things this week and get the guys ready and back focused on what they do.”

Friday’s game is the Gaels’ last chance to add an impressive win to their resume and keep their slim hopes of a second consecutive mythical national championship alive.

They’ll play Southern Nevada teams the rest of the way once their game with Orange Lutheran is done.

“To have the kind of schedule (we have), it’s not easy,” Browner said. “We knew that going in. We still have to perform coming into this week. It’s not easy. The first four weeks are some of the hardest games you can possibly get. That’s what we signed up for.”

The Gaels (2-1) should be tested by the Lancers (3-0). Orange Lutheran is coming off a 15-13 win against No. 22 St. Frances Academy (Maryland) last week.

“They’re one of the best defenses in the country,” Browner said.

The Lancers’ offense poses challenges as well. Quarterback TJ Lateef has thrown for 597 yards and eight touchdowns this season. The Nebraska commit is a four-star prospect, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

“(He’s) a great quarterback,” Browner said. “(Orange Lutheran also has) a big tight end and three very legit wide receivers, a fast running back and a big offensive line kind of like Mater Dei’s. It’s going to be another tough battle for the defense, but I think they’re ready for it.”

Gorman enters the game with quarterback questions.

Senior Melvin Spicer IV started against Mater Dei but completed just one of his four passes for six yards. The Gaels went to backup Maika Eugenio looking for a spark and the junior completed seven of his 11 attempts for 62 yards. Eugenio also threw two touchdowns as well as an interception.

Both quarterbacks have appeared in all three of Gorman’s games this season, but it’s unclear who will play more Friday.

“The biggest thing is making sure we make the right reads, deliver the ball on time and that’s what we want from either quarterback,” Browner said. “Some of the problems that we had, we were trying to do too much and not taking the easy money. We took some big shots and we shouldn’t have, so we have to go back to the basics.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.