The Bishop Gorman sideline called for a timeout with about five minutes remaining Tuesday in football’s Class 5A-Division I state championship game at Allegiant Stadium.
The Gaels were comfortably ahead of Liberty and coach Brent Browner was using the stoppage in play to honor senior quarterback Micah Alejado.
Alejado was subbed out to an ovation from teammates and supporters, many of whom recognized his leadership in guiding the offense through another state championship season.
Alejado accounted for four touchdowns (three passing; one rushing) to cap Gorman’s undefeated run and third straight state title in a 56-11 victory. When the national polls are released next month, the Gaels are expected to be ranked No. 1.
“If you look at what our offense did this year, it’s amazing,” said Browner, who estimated they punted just five times all season.
Alejado’s numbers speak to the effectiveness of the offense.
He completed 75% of his passes for about 2,800 yards and 35 touchdowns, and most importantly, had no interceptions in more than 200 pass attempts. As a junior last season, he was the state player of the year in passing for 3,575 yards and 54 touchdowns with two interceptions.
His last interception was Aug. 26, 2022, against Mater Dei of Southern California. He’s since passed for 80 touchdowns over two seasons without turning the ball over.
“Taking care of the ball is a really, really big part of being a quarterback,” said Alejado, who is verbally committed to Hawaii. “You can’t do anything without having the ball, so I really pride myself on that.”
Liberty took an early 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter, but Gorman quickly answered back when Alejado connected with Elija Lofton on an 82-yard scoring strike.
Lofton showed his versatility in also rushing for a touchdown and passing for a score to Derek Meadows on a trick play late in the third quarter to extend the Gorman lead to 33-11.
Lofton’s pass wasn’t exactly a masterpiece as it hung high in the air, but the end result was another Gorman touchdown as the Gaels scored 27 unanswered points to close the game.
“That play was something we worked on all week,” Alejado said. “It turned out being the dagger.”
Gorman entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally by MaxPreps. Browner projects it will remain in the top spot when the final poll is released next month, especially considering who they beat.
Liberty is also a national brand and should have defeated St. John Bosco of California earlier in the season, Browner said. Liberty gave St. John Bosco, the defending national champions, fits when they played in August.
“That team should have beat Bosco,” Browner said. “That’s a national team we just played at the end of the season. That is one heck of a team and one heck of a coach, and we just beat them on this stage (Allegiant Stadium).”
He then paused and asked, “What else do we need to do (to be national champs)?”
If Gorman is ranked in the top spot, it would be the program’s fourth all-time mythical national title. They also won from 2014-16.
Being able to label himself as a national champion would be a fitting walk off to Alejado’s career, Browner said. He’s a three-time state champion — it would have been four titles but the 2020 season wasn’t shelved by the pandemic.
“Great kid; great competitor,” said Browner, who was tearing up talking about his quarterback’s legacy. “You can’t replace that. We are going to miss that kid.”
Liberty’s touchdown came on the opening drive of the second half on a short run by Isaiah Lauofo. It’s the 10th time in 14 years Liberty’s season has ended against Gorman.