A cross-country journey to play one of many prime groups in Florida on nationwide tv, after beating the No. 1 crew within the nation, may very well be seen as a chance for a letdown recreation for a lot of highschool football groups.
Bishop Gorman football coach Brent Browner is assured that received’t occur to the Gaels this week.
Gorman is getting into its first week ranked No. 1 nationally by MaxPreps following a 38-28 home win over previously top-ranked St. John Bosco.
The Gaels (2-0) proceed their difficult out-of-state schedule in opposition to Columbus (Miami, Florida) at 11 a.m. PT Saturday at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. The recreation can be televised on ESPN2 and is a part of the Broward County National Football Showcase.
“It felt great playing the No. 1 team in the nation and being able to take them down and show the world what we’re about,” mentioned Gorman senior defensive again Kamil Loud, a Cal commit. “But it’s a new week. Columbus is on the clock and that’s what we’re looking forward to next.”
Not each nationwide rating has Gorman at No. 1, which Browner is utilizing as further motivation.
“It’s good that everybody has us like at 15th in the nation or 20th (referring to the Massey Rating of Gorman at 15th nationally) or whatever. It’s good, it helps me out,” Browner mentioned.
“Everybody thinks ‘letdown game,’ or we’re hearing all these things they are saying, but the kids chose to play these games. They want to play these games. They know they only have so many of these games. … Great win and all that stuff’s great. That’s over. Now, they’re excited for the next opportunity.”
‘Going to be a challenge’
Against St. John Bosco final week, Gorman jumped out to a 21-0 lead with junior Ace Amina because the Gaels’ beginning quarterback. Amina threw for 212 yards and 4 touchdowns, which included a 54-yard go to Corey Hinton within the fourth quarter that proved to be the game-winning score.
“I’m really proud of (Amina) because people were doubting him,” mentioned junior four-star broad receiver Zyren Menor, who had 4 catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns in opposition to St. John Bosco. “I’m proud of him that he blocked that noise out and played his game and showed everyone what he can do.”
Columbus, ranked at No. 100 nationally by MaxPreps, defeated Southridge (Florida) 45-7 on Aug. 20. The Explorers have one of many prime athletes within the nation in five-star A’mir Sears, a Miami commit who performs each broad receiver and cornerback. 247Sports has Sears rated because the Twentieth-overall class of 2027 prospect within the nation.
Along with an inflow of transfers, Columbus’ velocity can be a take a look at in opposition to a stout Gorman protection that had 18 tackles for loss, eight sacks and two interceptions within the win over St. John Bosco.
“They’ve got a lot of guys that can fly around and do a lot of stuff,” Browner mentioned. “So, just like any Florida game, it’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to be a dogfight.”
Florida connections
Gorman made the journey to Florida on Wednesday to get acclimated to the time change and climate situations. After a two-hour flight delay on Wednesday, the Gaels obtained in a follow at midnight in Florida.
The Gaels are 4-0 in opposition to Florida groups below Browner (whose first season was in 2021), and this system’s final loss to a Florida crew was in 2013 to Booker T. Washington 28-12 at dwelling.
Temperatures for Saturday are anticipated to be within the mid-80s with humidity within the upper-70s and an opportunity for thunderstorms all through the day. The final time Gorman performed in Florida was in 2024, when the Gaels handled a lightning delay and rallied to beat St. Thomas Aquinas 29-21.
With the eventful offseason of the 30 CCSD football applications moving to independent status, Gorman was in search of video games and Browner referred to as Columbus defensive coordinator Jube Joseph, who beforehand coached at Miami Central (which performed Gorman twice in 2021 and 2023), to assist arrange the sport.
“There weren’t many opportunities to get games and to be able to call up another coach and in a heartbeat takes the game is amazing,” Browner mentioned. “We weren’t supposed to go down there … (The event) had to do a lot of things internally for this to happen.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Up subsequent
Who: Bishop Gorman vs. Columbus (Florida)
When: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: St. Thomas Aquinas HS in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
TV: ESPN2