De La Salle runs into powerhouse Bishop Gorman
When Kenny Sanchez played linebacker at Granada Livermore and later coached at California-San Ramon, one Bay Area school carried a mystique all its own. It still does. De La Salle-Concord hasn’t lost to a Northern California opponent since 1991, a string of 283 games (281-0-2), to go along with 25 straight North Coast Section crowns.
Sanchez, now the head coach at Bishop Gorman-Las Vegas, has a completely new perspective.
Crowned national champion three consecutive years by USA Today, and winner of 141 against seven losses over 10 seasons heading into 2017, Gorman is considered the gold standard of high school programs over the past decade.
What pushed it over the top is a take-on-all-comers approach that has produced victories over the national elite, including St. John Bosco Bellflower (Los Angeles County), St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) and Bellevue (Wash.) — programs that have a combined record of 6-0 against De La Salle.
Clearly, when Gorman (1-2) hosts De La Salle (3-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday, the Gaels won’t have to deal with any mystique.
“We’ve definitely seen it all over the last five or six years,” Sanchez said. “Don’t get me wrong: De La Salle is De La Salle. Preparing for the veer presents a lot of problems, and they’re so well coached and really good at what they do.
“Frankly, we’re not really worried about them. We’re much more worried about us.”
After defeating the nation’s No. 12 team, DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), to open the season — the program’s 55th straight win — Gorman, then No. 2, lost at No. 1 Mater Dei-Santa Ana (Orange County) 35-21 on Sept. 1.
Then, perhaps still stinging from having their win streak snapped, the Gaels gave up three long touchdown runs and three times came away with no points in the red zone during a 24-20 loss to Central Miami (Fla.) last week.
Central (2-0) is ranked 15th nationally by MaxPreps.com.
“No excuses,” Sanchez said. “We just didn’t finish and we gave up three big plays. Yet, we were still in position to win.”
The back-to-back Gorman losses aren’t exactly what De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh was hoping for. The Gaels figure to come in a little angry and focused.
“I really don’t know about all that,” Alumbaugh said. “All I know is Gorman, even with two losses, is one of the best teams in the country. Every year, they run through the gauntlet and until the last two weeks, they’ve beat everyone.”
Gorman features 6-foot-2, 200-pound UCLA-bound dualthreat quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (905 passing yards, seven TDs) and preseason All-Americans Brevin Jordan (6-3, 250), a tight end, and middle linebacker Palaie Gaoteote (6-2, 220). Ten of its players have been offered FBS college scholarships.
“The quarterback is a nightmare,” Alumbaugh said. “The defense is big, fast and physical. On top of everything, they’re so well coached. It’s just a very tough recipe to prepare for.”
De La Salle is no cupcake, either. The Spartans are led by senior running back Kairee Robinson (400 yards rushing, five TDs), an experienced line and blue-chip defenders. Junior linebacker Henry To’oto’o and tackle Tuli Letuligasenoa, have played well in spots in the early going.
“We definitely need to get all phases going at once to play with these guys,” Alumbaugh said.
The programs have met just once, in 2010. Host De La Salle won 28-14, but the yardage and game itself were largely a push.
Tony Sanchez, now the head coach at UNLV, was Gorman’s head coach then. He handed the reigns to his brother Kenny Sanchez, who — in his third season — is 31-2. Most of his coaches are Bay Area natives.
“We don’t want to beat them because we grew up around there,” Kenny Sanchez said. “We want to beat them because they’re a great program. This is why you compete.”
Said Alumbaugh: “This is the fun part. This is why you test yourself. We can’t wait.”