Brent Browner has been coaching high school football in Las Vegas for nearly two decades.
When he initially started in 2005, “the teams in the north, in Reno, would always win the state championship,” said Browner, who in 2020 was elevated to head coach at Bishop Gorman.
That’s no longer the case. The state’s best programs are predominantly in Southern Nevada. Same with the nation’s best team, Gorman.
The Gaels were picked as national champions today for the fourth time since 2014, as MaxPreps ranked them No. 1 in its final rankings. Additionally, Gorman was selected as the inaugural ESPN HS Football National Champions.
Gorman posted a 12-0 record, including a pair of wins against teams finishing in the MaxPreps top 25. They beat No. 13 Corner Canyon of Utah, 63-42, and No. 14 Centennial Corona of California, 56-28. Additionally, they traveled to Florida for a hard-fought 39-35 win against Miami Central, and they beat Long Beach Poly 60-15 at a showcase in Oregon.
“Our marching orders are to create the best high school football experience for the kids,” Browner said. “If you do that, the rest will figure itself out. If you create that, win or lose, you are winning.”
Browner said the list of wins against the toughest schools should include victories against Las Vegas teams, especially Liberty in the state championship game. Gorman outscored Liberty 105-17 in two contests, and Browner said Liberty was as good of an opponent as any team they faced.
Liberty opened the season with a 20-point loss at St. John Bosco of California, the defending national champions who at the time were ranked No. 3.
“That’s a physical team with how they play defense and how they run around,” Browner said of Liberty. “They have some explosive players. It was a seven-point game (in the third quarter against Bosco) and they ran out of steam.”
Browner also raved about Shadow Ridge, labeling them a “good, tough team.” Shadow Ridge used its ball-control offense to run the clock against Gorman, only trailing 7-3 at halftime.
Browner last week was talking to a college recruiter who was on campus courting one of his players. Browner said he proudly spoke about his team — and then mentioned a few other kids from around town.
He said he was blown away this fall by the local teams and talent. Without them, he said, Gorman wouldn't be in the national spotlight.
“These (college) coaches aren’t only coming to town for Bishop Gorman,” he said. “If there is a kid we played against who is really, really good, we want to share that information and have it trickle down. Hopefully, some kids get more exposure who might not have gotten it.”
Gorman in the mid- to late 2000s started playing a national schedule in the preseason, using the games against a who’s who of out-of-state foes to go from a perennial state championship contender to a national brand.
Along the way, other schools started to test themselves against teams from neighboring states, including Liberty in 2016, which won against a nationally-ranked opponent in Texas.
“It’s all about finding a higher level of competition,” Browner said.
Browner said Gorman has become so well known nationally that players and coaches are often greeted by well-wishers while traveling in airports. “Everyone knows the G,” he said of the school’s logo.
Gorman was led by quarterback Micah Alejado, who passed for 2,714 yards and 35 touchdowns with no interceptions as Gorman averaged 54 points per game.
Arizona-commit Audric Harris had 51 catches for 1,051 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Elija Lofton had 10 scoring receptions and Devon Rice rushed for 10 scores.
And the Gaels appear to be built to last.
Tamatoa Gaoteote, a freshman, was second on the team with 84 tackles.