‘It just worked out’: How Bishop Gorman was able to schedule St. John Bosco

Bishop Gorman’s football squad regularly assembles one of the nation’s most challenging slates, pitting the Gaels against elite programs from across the country. Aligning those calendars, however, is rarely simple, as demonstrated by the upcoming clash with California powerhouse St. John Bosco—a team the Gaels have not faced since 2016. On Friday at 7 p.m., No. 1 St. John Bosco, according to MaxPreps, will travel to No. 2 Bishop Gorman’s Fertitta Field for the highly anticipated matchup. “I’ve known (St. John Bosco manager Jason) Negro forever, a bully dude. This year, it just worked out,” Gorman head coach Brent Browner told the Review‑Journal earlier in August. Browner credited the decision by the 30 Clark County School District teams to operate as independents this fall for creating the flexibility needed to lock in the game. “We’ve called (St. John Bosco) different years and they didn’t have the dates (that we had open),” Browner said. “This year, because of (CCSD’s decision to independence), we had no dates (locked in), so everything’s open.” He added, “You look at the goods and bads of things that happened, things happen for a reason. If we had the same things (NIAA league alignments as past year) and the (CCSD) stuff didn’t happen, we most likely had that day filled.” When constructing a schedule, Browner explained, two essentials must align: the opposing team must want to play, and both sides must find a compatible date. “We’ve had times where we reached out to people (in the past) and even this year after all the stuff that happened and (it either didn’t happen) for either lack of (they) didn’t want to play or the dates don’t work,” he said. Looking ahead, Browner hopes to secure an annual rendezvous with St. John Bosco, similar to the Gaels’ standing arrangement with Mater Dei. “The biggest thing is just trying to line it up and get those things locked in stone, like with Mater Dei, we’ve both just agreed to saving a day each year (to play) and hopefully we can do the same thing with Bosco,” Browner said. “When you’re looking at how we try to make the schedule, I try to play multiple California teams each year because it’s one of the best states.” Friday’s contest launches a demanding stretch for Gorman, which includes road games at Columbus (Fla.) on Aug. 29, Lone Peak (Utah) on Sept. 4, and Mater Dei (Calif.) on Sept. 18. A glance at the history between the two programs shows two prior meetings, both won by Bishop Gorman. **2014: Bishop Gorman 34, St. John Bosco 31** The opener was delayed an hour by lightning, with rain falling for much of the evening in Las Vegas. St. John Bosco arrived as the No. 1 team in USA Today, riding a 19‑game winning streak. Despite the weather, the then‑No. 2‑ranked Gaels built a 20‑3 halftime lead and stretched it to 34‑10 late in the third quarter. St. John Bosco quarterback Josh Rosen sparked a rally, throwing a touchdown to Kaylin Franklin with 1:12 left to trim the deficit to 34‑31. An attempted onside kick failed, and Gorman recovered, celebrating in front of a packed Fertitta Field crowd as the Gaels secured their 15th straight victory. Tate Martell completed 12 of 17 passes for 224 yards, tossing two touchdown scores and adding a rushing touchdown. Rosen finished 14‑of‑27 for 263 yards. Gorman closed the season 15‑0, capturing the program’s first mythical national title after topping USA Today’s final poll. **2016: Bishop Gorman 35, St. John Bosco 20** In the rematch, Gorman again entered as the USA Today No. 1 team, boasting a 41‑game winning streak. At Veterans Memorial Stadium on the Long Beach City College campus, the Gaels stumbled early, trailing 20‑7 late in the first half. A pivotal play came when Bubba Bolden halted a St. John Bosco drive, forcing the Braves to settle for a field goal. Martell connected on a 25‑yard pass to Brevin Jordan before halftime, cutting the gap to 20‑14. After the break, Gorman outgained St. John Bosco 240‑51 on offense. Amod Cianelli’s third‑quarter touchdown put Gorman ahead 21‑20. Martell finished 7‑of‑16 for 178 yards and three touchdowns, added 111 rushing yards and a fourth‑quarter rushing score, while Bolden sealed the win with a late interception. Gorman ended the season 15‑0, earning USA Today national champion honors for the third time and claiming the No. 1 spot in MaxPreps’ final rankings. Up next Who: No. 1 St. John Bosco (California) vs. No. 2 Bishop Gorman When: 7 p.m. Friday Where: Gorman's Fertitta Field Stream: MaxPreps' website and YouTube channel All-time series: Bishop Gorman 2-0 (34-31 in 2014 and 35-20 in 2016).