Gaels top Bulldogs, clinch another Southwest crown

Bishop Gorman added another title to its impressive resume.

The top-ranked Gaels got a stellar performance from senior quarterback Randall Cunningham Jr. as Gorman rolled to a 49-21 win over a game Centennial squad. The win assures Gorman (8-2, 4-0) of the Southwest League title – its seventh straight league crown.

“Winning the division is one of those things we don’t take for granted,” Gorman coach Tony Sanchez said. “We need to make sure we win next week to secure home field advantage for as long as we keep winning in the playoffs. Home field is real important.”

Cunningham had a senior night to remember as he rushed for 242 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. He also completed 14 of 24 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown.

“I just felt like practice went great this week,” Cunningham said. “I felt like we could run or pass it tonight, and I felt like I’d be able to make some plays in this game and that is what happened.”

Gorman’s run game was dominating, but Cunningham got hot in the passing game early. On the Gaels’ opening drive, he completed both of his attempts for 28 yards. The 10-play drive culminated on a 1-yard touchdown run by Russell Booze. It was the first points allowed by Centennial’s defense in more than six quarters.

“Offensively, we did a phenomenal job,” Sanchez said. “I don’t think we punted the ball once tonight. Randall completed some balls early to get his confidence up, and the offensive line was fantastic.”

The Bulldogs answered right back against top-ranked Gorman, driving 80 yards on nine plays to tie the score on Coll Thomson’s 1-yard quarterback sneak.

“I am so proud of our kids,” Centennial head coach Leon Evans said. “They made some big plays and played hard. They eventually wore us down and got some late scores, but I couldn’t be proud of my guys. Now, we have to rest up and get ready to play (Legacy) for the second seeed.”

Gorman regained the lead on a 6-yard scoring run by Booze on its next possession.

After an interception by Gorman’s Armand Perry, Cunningham connected with Alize Jones on a 23-yard scoring strike to push the Gaels lead to 21-7 lead. Gorman scored again before the half on a 5-yard run by Jonathan Shumaker.

The Bulldogs closed the gap to 28-14 at halftime on a 40-yard scoring strike from Thomson to Lantz Worthington. Centennial also scored on a 64-yard touchdown pass from Thomson to Brandan Harley late in the third quarter.

Thomson threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns to lead Centennial.

“Defensively we’ve been solid all year,” Sanchez said. “We just gave up too many balls in the passing game. We did not play the deep ball well and that led to points on the board. We gotta go back and fix that.

“We also were lackluster in the tackling department, which is a fundamental thing and that is on the coaches.”

In the second half, Cunningham scored on touchdown runs of 86 and 24 yards, and Daniel Stewart scored on a 7-yard run to ensure the Gaels’ victory.

“We played great,” Cunningham said. “There are couple of little things we can pick up in practice and no one will be able to stop us.”