Friday Night Roundup: Gorman scrapes by Florida school in triple OT

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Published Friday, Sept. 30, 2016 | 7 p.m.

Updated Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 | 1:40 a.m.

Stories from games across the valley:

• Foothill wins Southeast opener against Coronado

• Defense sparks Canyon Springs in dominant win over Valley

• Flowers rushes for 300 yards in Del Sol win

• Big night from Elijah Kothe helps Faith Lutheran grab first 4A win

• Las Vegas bounces back in victory over Chaparral

• Legacy makes statement with win against Centennial

• Offense comes up big for Cheyenne against Pahrump

• Durango stops late 2-point conversion attempt to hold off Bonanza

• Desert Pines struggles, still beats Mojave 20-0

• Special teams, defense lead Desert Oasis to win against Clark

• Eldorado on path to reaching goals after notching first win of the season

• Defense emerges as Basic comes back to thwart Silverado

• Liberty cruises past Green Valley to continue dominance of league opponents

• Hammer Game: Virgin Valley savors win over Moapa

• Arbor View puts on a show with punishing win over Shadow Ridge

• • •

The Bishop Gorman High football team needs one more win.

You can easily argue the Gaels (5-0) are playing for a third straight national championship tonight whey they host St. Thomas Aquinas of Florida on ESPNU.

If Gorman wins tonight, and finishes the season by winning an eighth straight Nevada championship, it should have done enough to again be voted as national champions.

Of course, St. Thomas Aquinas isn’t a pushover. It opened the season ranked No. 1 and has double-digit players verbally committed to Division I schools. It’s arguably Gorman’s toughest game of the season — which says a lot, considering who it has already beaten.

They’ve already won convincingly in Texas and California against top-five ranked opponents, and easily handled then 17th-ranked Kahuku of Hawaii by four touchdowns.

The national championship is purely mythical and determined by voters. And while Gorman hasn’t been challenged in beating a who’s who of opponents, it has five Southwest League games on the horizon against lightweights that will bring down its strength of schedule.

But it won’t be enough to take Gorman, which hasn’t lost since 2013 and has won more than 40 straight games, out of the conversation. The initial six weeks of the season have shown the Gaels can beat any opponent.

This isn’t the only notable game tonight.

Liberty, which has also been ranked this fall, opens Southeast League play against Green Valley. Some feels it’s the league's top two opponents, meaning the winner will be in the driver’s seat to win the league.

In the Northwest League, power Arbor View hosts upset-minded Shadow Ridge, which enters the game undefeated and coming off an impressive win last week at Las Vegas.

In the 3A classification, Mesquite’s Virgin Valley hosts Moapa Valley in the annual “Hammer Game,” where it is predicted to snap a near decade-long losing streak in the rivalry game.

We’ll keep everyone posted throughout the night. Send us game information and photos on Twitter using #702hsfb and #sunstandout.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21