Bishop Gorman football defeats Arbor View to win Nevada state title

Any chance that Arbor View could keep up with Bishop Gorman in the Class 5A Division I football state championship game ended on fourth-and-16 late in the first quarter.

The Gaels were in control and had a 14-point lead. Their defense had been strong at the start – then any chance of an upset for the title was dashed.

Gorman defensive lineman Jett Washington intercepted Arbor View’s Thaddeus Thatcher in the end zone and returned it to the Aggies’ 34-yard line. Two plays later, Gaels quarterback Maika Eugenio threw his third touchdown pass of the first quarter, a 2-yard score to Trent Walker.

The top-seeded Gaels never looked back, defeating No. 2 Arbor View 69-7 to win the state title on Tuesday night at Allegiant Stadium. The entire second half was played with the clock running. It is Gorman’s fourth straight state title and 21st overall.

Eugenio completed all five passes in the first quarter, including touchdowns of 38, 30 and 2 yards. The junior right-hander completed 12 of 15 passes for 274 yards and five touchdowns in the first half. Eugenio, who did not play in the second half, completed passes to nine receivers and five Gaels caught touchdowns.

Gorman’s defense made its presence felt in the first half. The Gaels, ranked No. 4 nationally by MaxPreps, allowed just 32 yards on offense in addition to three sacks and three tackles for loss.

During the regular season, Gorman (11-1) earned a 49-14 win at Arbor View (10-2) on Oct. 10. The 14 points were the most points the Gaels had allowed to a local team this season.

The Gaels went full throttle in the second quarter. Eugenio connected with LSU commit Derek Meadows on a long pass that gained some yards after one of 11 first-half penalties against the Gaels. But seven plays later, Eugenio hit running back Terrance Grant Jr. for a 3-yard score on fourth down to take a 28-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for Gorman to strike again. It recovered the ensuing onside kick and on the next play, Eugenio threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Aizen Torres for a 34-0 lead after missing the extra point.

After Gorman’s defense forced a three-pointer, Myles Norman found the end zone with a 2-yard run, triggering the running clock. The Gaels made a special teams play late in the first half when Alexander Perez blocked an Arbor View punt and caught it in the end zone for another touchdown.

Gorman took a 48-0 lead into halftime.

Eugenio had 38-yard touchdown passes to Meadows and a 30-yard strike to defensive back Isaiah Nickels in the first quarter.

The Gaels’ defense made life difficult for the Arbor View offense, which averages more than 395 yards and 38 points per game. The Aggies had a minus-14 rushing yardage total in the first half, and Thatcher completed just 9 of 18 passes for 46 yards under constant pressure in the first half.

Washington, a four-star 2026 recruit, added a tackle for loss, and Utah punter Sione Motuapuaka recorded two sacks for the Gaels.

Arbor View got on the scoreboard with a 4-yard TD pass to Sean Moore with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter.

Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.