Bishop Gorman continues pursuit of national title by demolishing rival Liberty: 5 takeaways

The Gaels are now 5-0, and have outscored opponents 267-126

LAS VEGAS - The tour de force continues.

After starting the season 4-0 defeating out-of-state powerhouses, Bishop Gorman opened its in-state schedule by annihilating rival Liberty — Nevada’s top-ranked team besides the Gaels — 49-6 on Thursday.

MORE: GAME STORY

Here are five takeaways from the game:

BISHOP GORMAN’S DEFENSE IN PEAK FORM

As the Gaels entered their first week of conference play 4-0, one would be hard-pressed to argue that their offense hadn't been the best in the country coming into Thursday. After all, they put up 218 in four wins against Corona Centennial (CA), Miami Central (FL), Corner Canyon (UT), and Long Beach Poly (CA).

And Thursday was another outstanding offensive showing for Bishop Gorman, which put up 49 points despite a running clock and made it look easy.

The usual stars were in control. Micah Alejado threw two touchdown passes and did damage with his legs, and Elija Lofton and DeVon Rice both caught and ran for a touchdown. Lofton's touchdown catch came in highlight fashion via a double pass, as Alejado connected behind the line of scrimmage with Derek Meadows, Meadows tossed it upfield to Lofton, and Lofton shed a tackler to cruise into the end zone. 

Junior running back Myles Norman also contributed one of the top plays of the night for a touchdown, a run from past midfield in the fourth quarter.

However, since Gorman's offensive prowess has been unwavering all season, it was its defense that left the biggest impression.

During the times that the Gaels have been elite on defense this season, it's been clear that they pose a threat in the national championship race. While Liberty's offense is not the best one that Bishop Gorman has faced in 2023, Gorman's defense was visibly on another level compared to its wins the prior two weeks.

Liberty executed reasonably well offensively on Thursday, and ripped off one impressive touchdown near the end of the game when Jayden Robertson took a short pass to the end zone from midfield. With a deep bag of offensive looks ranging from a spread passing attack in the shotgun to a run option scheme out of the Power I, and many things in between, the Patriots were able to move the ball at times, but they could not sustain drives. 

Bishop Gorman's punishing front seven not only stuffed the run but appeared to physically exhaust Liberty's run-game nucleus quite early in the game. Which is very tough to do against a physically imposing offense charging ahead in power formations.

Safety Jett Washington and linebacker Charles Correa both grabbed an interception for the Gaels.

WILLIAMS A BUDDING SUPERSTAR

If you've seen Bishop Gorman play even a quarter of football in 2023, then you already know: the Gaels have something special in sophomore defensive lineman Prince Williams, who may have been the best player on the field on Thursday.

MORE: PRINCE WILLIAMS TALKS LIBERTY BLOWOUT

Williams entered the week first on the Gaels with eight tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and nine QB-hurries, and second with 32 tackles and three sacks. As a defensive focal point of a national contender as just a sophomore, it goes without saying that Williams is rapidly proving himself as one of the top defensive linemen in his class. 

But even without statistics to back it up, it's easy to see that he might be on the verge of absolutely blowing up. And for all his production, he also simply alters the landscape around the line of scrimmage whether or not it shows up in the box score.

Few high school defensive linemen of any age check more boxes than Williams, who can play anywhere on the defensive line. At defensive end, he's stops the run particularly well without sacrificing his pass-rushing ability, and he also has the physical tools to thrive at defensive tackle. Williams stands 6-3, 240, and has a wide frame that can likely support more significantly weight without losing mobility. And he simply a natural feel for ending up in the middle of the action.

So, take stock now before it's too late. Williams has been offered by UNLV, Hawaii, and most recently, Utah, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him with a dozen more high major offers and some stars to his name before his junior year comes around. He has been that good playing elite opponents.

"This [defensive performance] shows how far we've come," said Williams after the win.

"You know, we're a young group. I can say our maturity level has definitely gone up. As a group, our chemistry is getting there. I wouldn't choose any other team without these boys."

PARADE OF PENALTIES

It was a physical, heated game between rivals from the get-go, and the outcome was clear early on. If that sounds like a formula for a penalty fest, that's because it was. At least 26 penalties were assessed in this game. And Jayden Robertson, who scored Liberty's only touchdown on a catch from the backfield, was abruptly ejected to everyone's surprise for sliding as he entered the end zone.

GAELS KEEP MAKING NATIONAL TITLE CASE

Bishop Gorman has been vocal about its aspirations for another national championship in 2023. There's not a whole lot more the team can do to help its cause than beating every opponent it plays by more than anyone else beats them.

In the first week of the season, the top-ranked teams in the country – SoCal superpowers Mater Dei and St. John Bosco – defeated Corona Centennial and Liberty, respectively. And not by as much as many people expected. Mater Dei struggled to close out Centennial in a 28-14 win, and Bosco was on the defensive for much of the first half before rolling in the second half to a 42-22 victory over the Patriots.

In the last two weeks, Bishop Gorman has blown out both of those teams. 56-28 over Centennial on Sept. 8 before dismantling Liberty on Thursday.

Is that something the Gaels have been paying a lot of mind?

"I'd say it's fifty-fifty," said Williams. 

"We're looking at that. But at the same time, at the end of the day, we just want to ball out."

LOSS NOT AN INDICTMENT OF LIBERTY

In a vacuum, this game presented essentially no positive takeaways for Liberty, which was beaten in every facet of the game. However, the good news for Patriots fans is that their team still looks like the clear-cut No. 2 team in Nevada no matter how bad they got blown out by Bishop Gorman. 

Liberty already has wins over Hawaii powerhouses St. Louis and Campbell, plus a blowout win over Coronado, and its only other loss came against another consensus top-five team in the country in St. John Bosco. The team still has a great chance to win out for the rest of the season – and in future seasons – against all Nevada opponents not named Bishop Gorman. Now it's time to simply move on and bounce back.