Gorman overcomes miscues to thump Desert Oasis

Victor Belen rushed for three touchdowns, and Bishop Gorman overcame a series of special teams miscues to defeat visiting Desert Oasis 42-11 on Thursday night.

Belen scored on runs of 25, 8 and 2 yards. He finished with 155 yards on 16 carries.

Gorman (5-0, 4-0 Southwest League) led just 21-11 at the half despite scoring on three of its four possessions. But bad luck and bad snaps helped keep Desert Oasis (2-2, 1-2) in the game early.

Two Diamondback punts hit Gorman players, and Desert Oasis recovered both. The second led to a 30-yard field goal by Brennen Stott that cut the lead to 21-11 with 38 seconds left in the half.

Gorman also had a bad snap on a punt attempt that led to a safety when punter Collin Ditsworth was forced to cover the loose ball in the end zone.

Desert Oasis capitalized on the ensuing possession, when Stott scored on a 19-yard run to cut the lead to 14-8 with 9:55 to go in the half.

In the end, Gorman was able to grind it out behind its massive offensive line.

“We’ve got to keep the fire going for a long time,” Gorman coach Tony Sanchez said. “These guys came out and gave us something to think about, and I’m sure that’s going to be the case next week against Green Valley. Like I told the guys at the beginning of the season, our biggest opponent is going to be ourselves this year.”

Gorman’s line averages 292 pounds. Desert Oasis’ three down defensive linemen averaged just 170 pounds, and Gorman was able to use that size to rush for 237 yards.

“At the end of the day we’re always going to be able to power-I it up and get after people,” Sanchez said. “At the end of the game that’s kind of what we went to.”

Gorman freshman quarterback Jarrett Solomon threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns — an 11-yard pass to Taylor Spencer, and a 23-yard toss to fellow freshman Ryan Smith.