Bishop Gorman High football coach Tony Sanchez, right, and his brother, defensive coordinator Kenny Sanchez, celebrate a victory against St. John Bosco during the Gaels’ 2014 national championship season. Tony left after the season for the UNLV job. Kenny was promoted to head coach.
Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015 | 2 a.m.
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Bishop Gorman High football coach Kenny Sanchez hasn’t changed how the national champion Gaels program operates since he was elevated to head coach last month.
That includes how the schedule is built.
Gorman, which finished 2014 ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today and other polls, will next fall again challenge a who’s who of out-of-town high school powers in its title defense. Gorman last season opened with wins against six national opponents, giving it the credential to be voted as the mythical national champion.
The six nonleague games in 2015 will be equally, if not more, challenging. The schedule was finalized this week.
“We play the best we can because it helps get us ready to play the best (in Nevada) and win a state championship,” said Sanchez, who last month replaced his brother, Tony, as the Gorman coach. “(State) is the ultimate goal.”
Gorman plays four teams that finished 2014 ranked in the top 50 by USA Today, including hosting Arizona champion Chandler on Aug. 28 to open the season. Chandler finished ranked No. 16.
The six-time defending Nevada champion Gaels have road games the following two weeks, traveling Sept. 4 to Southern Utah to face Bingham and Sept. 11 to Bellevue, Wash.
Gorman beat Bingham, the Utah state champion which finished ranked No. 8, in overtime last season. Bellevue, a perennial national power, had its streak of six state championships snapped this year but still finished ranked No. 40.
“They are going to be hungry,” Kenny Sanchez said of Bellevue.
The final three nonleague games will be at Gorman, where tickets are presold and stands are packed for games against national opponents. Most are also televised.
On Sept. 18, Gorman hosts Los Angeles-area power Long Beach Poly, which finished 2014 ranked No. 47. The following week, the Gaels take on Servite, another respected California school. After a few Southwest League games, they host New Jersey power Don Bosco on Oct. 23.
Gorman started its offseason conditioning program in early January. The team averages more than 100 returners for daily workouts, following the trend of past seasons.
“We do what we do, and that’s work hard,” Kenny Sanchez said. “There is a system in place. It has been in place. We are hitting the floor running.”
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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