High School

Bishop Gorman football game canceled, opponent forced to forfeit after fight

Nationally ranked Gaels pick up win; NIAA deals Arbor View, Desert Pines punishment

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports

Bishop Gorman football game canceled, opponent forced to forfeit after fight
Bishop Gorman football game canceled, opponent forced to forfeit after fight /

Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman must wait another week to resume its quest for yet another Nevada state high school football championship.

The Gaels' Friday opponent, Arbor View (Nevada), forfeited the game Friday night as a result of a ruling handed down by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported.

Bishop Gorman, the nation's No. 2 team the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national rankings, moves to 6-0.

Arbor View beat Desert Pines 28-27 in double-overtime on September 22, but both teams were required to double-forfeit after a bench-clearing fight broke out after an injury-riddled game.

Bishop Gorman has won its last 21 games and went 14-1 in 2022. It beat Arbor View 63-0 a year ago.

The Gaels are arguably more talented in 2023. They are coming off of a 55-0 win over Silverado, the two-time defending Class 4A NIAA champion.

According to the Review-Journal, police rushed the field as Arbor View and Desert Pines players' brawl spilled into the Arbor View sidelines. 

The Review-Journal reported that in the second quarter, Arbor View's starting quarterback, freshman Theaddeus Thatcher, suffered a broken collarbone when he was hit after releasing a pass.

As a result, Christian Thatcher, Arbor View 4-star linebacker and the older brother of the quarterback, and Desert Pines linebacker Kenneth Goodwin Jr. got tangled up and both were ejected. Desert Pines UNLV-committed corner Jaylen Allen was reportedly taken away by ambulance after suffering a leg injury.

Arbor View and Desert Pines were instructed to turn in any video evidence of the incident they could find. The state athletic association reviewed the footage over the weekend and dealt a swift decision on Monday.

The Gaels play next at Shadow Ridge next Friday.

(Lead photo by Jann Hendry)

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx

Published
Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports
ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.

Home/News