No. 2 Bishop Gorman handles Hawaii champs in opener — PHOTOS

It wasn’t pretty, but Bishop Gorman passed the first test of a grueling out-of-state schedule in its quest to win a fifth high school football national championship.

The Gaels, ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps, leaned on their defense in their season opener Friday night and fended off three-time Hawaii Open Division champion Kahuku 33-7 in front of a near-capacity crowd of 5,000 at Fertitta Field.

“The offense had some new guys, they’re learning their way, and the defense, all those guys played last year so we had that (going),” Bishop Gorman coach Brent Browner said. “We just told them — people get wrapped up in the hoopla and stuff like that — we just got to win by one point. If we beat everybody by one point, it’s going to be a really good year.”

The victory was Bishop Gorman’s 26th in a row. The Gaels’ last loss was on Aug. 26, 2022, to Mater Dei (California) 24-21 at home. The teams play again Sept. 6 in Santa Ana.

The Gaels (1-0) recovered a muffed punt and had four interceptions Friday. They limited Kahuku (1-1) to just 49 yards of offense and forced five three-and-outs in the first half.

“(The defense) was just crazy ready to go play a game,” Browner said. “We held the reins back, and this was the first time we let them loose.”

Jett Washington had two interceptions for Gorman, which was crowned national champion for the fourth time last season by MaxPreps and USA Today.

“It feels great anytime you come out with a win,” Washington said. “We spent months working on this, and coming out and getting the win with your teammates, there’s no better feeling.”

Making his first start, senior quarterback Melvin Spicer IV had his ups and downs but completed 10 of 13 passes for 180 yards with two touchdown passes and an interception. The Gaels also played junior Maika Eugenio, who had two short touchdown runs and added 62 passing yards.

Spicer led the Gaels on a key scoring drive right before halftime. On second-and-goal from Kahuku’s 2-yard line, he hit senior running back Myles Norman in the flat for a touchdown to give the Gaels a 19-0 halftime lead.

Washington gathered his first interception early in the third quarter, but Gorman gave it right back when running back Terrance Grant fumbled. Kahuku turned it into a touchdown on a 16-yard scramble from quarterback Christian Sanford-Tupuola.

The Gaels answered right back. Norman started the next drive with a 48-yard run, and four plays later, Eugenio scored his second touchdown on a quarterback sneak.

“We can lean on each other, and not one person has to do it,” Washington said. “Everybody’s got each other through ups and downs. We got each other.”

Spicer threw his second touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter, hitting senior receiver Greg Toler, who ran 48 yards for a score. Washington added his second interception later in the fourth.

“I just tried to do anything for my team,” Washington said. “If that means I have to go get a pick, I’ll go get a pick. I was just trying to make plays for my team and change the game.”

Norman racked up 98 rushing yards, and senior wide receiver and Hawaii commit Brandon Gaea hauled in 121 receiving yards.

“Those are older guys that have been around,” Browner said. “That’s a big piece too. Those are the guys who have seen how things flow, and we lean on those guys to keep us on track.”

The teams traded three-and-outs on their first drives of the game, but Gorman recovered a muffed punt to extend its drive midway through the first half. The drive didn’t last long, as Spicer was intercepted inside the red zone.

Looking for a spark, the Gaels brought in Eugenio on their third drive later in the first quarter, and it paid off. The junior connected with Gaea on a pair of long passes, and Eugenio barreled into the end zone behind the Gaels’ stout offensive line for a 1-yard score on a quarterback sneak.

Gorman extended its lead to 9-0 right before halftime after Kahuku had a bad snap on a punt and its punter went down in the end zone for a safety.

Brayton Correa came up with an interception for Gorman early in the second quarter. Back in the game, Spicer hit Gaea on a 53-yard pass to set up first-and-goal. But the Gaels squandered their opportunity when Spicer was sacked on fourth-and-goal at Kahuku’s 3-yard line.

Hudson Borsari added a 35-yard field goal before Spicer’s first-half touchdown pass to give the Gaels a three-score lead at halftime.

Gorman will get an extra day of preparation before it heads to Florida to face No. 11 St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) on Aug. 24. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN at 4 p.m.

“We just have to progress on both sides,” Browner said. “There are things we got to fix on defense and things we want to fix on offense. If we play good football, we fix the things we have to fix and stay within the game plan, we’re going to be pretty successful.”

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