Gorman quarterback tosses 5 TDs in rout of Palo Verde — PHOTOS
Bishop Gorman coach Brent Browner says Micah Alejado is the most underrated quarterback in the country.
That sentiment might be slowly fading, given the way the Gaels’ junior quarterback is playing.
Alejado threw five touchdown passes on six completions as Gorman rolled past Palo Verde 70-0 Friday night at Palo Verde. Alejado only attempted nine passes and racked up 149 passing yards in 3½ quarters of play.
“He does a great job of taking what the defense gives him,” Browner said. “He’s not forcing anything, and that’s probably the best part about him. We aren’t telling him where to throw the ball. He reads the defense, does it and puts in the work to do it.”
The Gaels (8-1, 4-0 Class 5A Desert League) have battled injuries at the wide receiver spot. Against the Panthers, they were without senior receiver Zachariah Branch, a Southern California commit.
No problem. Alejado threw TD passes to four other receivers Friday.
“It shows how much talent we have in the receiver room,” Alejado said. “They put in the work every day to get each other better. It’s showing when the opportunities come up on the field.”
Gorman scored touchdowns on six of its 11 plays from scrimmage in the first half.
Junior running back Devon Rice got the scoring started with a 78-yard touchdown run on Gorman’s first play of the game.
The Gaels’ second possession was another one-play drive, as Alejado connected with junior tight end Elija Lofton for a 30-yard score.
The rout was on when Alejado added two more touchdown passes, a 20-yarder to junior running back Micah Kaapana and a 14-yarder to sophomore wide receiver Brandon Gaea, who caught three touchdowns on the night.
Senior wide receiver Trech Kekahuna rushed for a 41-yard touchdown late in the second quarter to put the game at a running clock. Alejado added another score in the first half on a 40-yard touchdown pass to Kekahuna to give the Gaels a 42-0 lead at halftime.
Gorman’s defense did its job, limiting Palo Verde (4-5, 2-2) to 59 yards of total offense and recording two interceptions.
With the playoffs around the corner, Browner is looking for his team to continue to play smart and play together.
“It’s really just about playing good football,” he said. “We’re focusing on the stuff that we’ve been teaching them this whole time, and hopefully, we keep that going and don’t get away from that.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.