2 hours ago 2

The Sporting News High School Football Game of the Week: No. 8 Bishop Gorman at No. 13 Santa Margarita

The past two weeks have been tough on the nation's top-ranked teams.

Two weeks, ago the No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs traveled to Corona, California, to take on the No. 20 Centennial Huskies. In a wild 43-36 shootout, the Monarchs were defeated in a major upset that shook up the national title picture.

Then last week, those same Monarchs hit the road again, this time to Las Vegas, to take on the team that replaced them at No. 1 – the Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels. And, for the second week in a row, the nation's No. 1 team fell, this time in a 27-24 decision as Mater Dei improved to 5-0 all time against Bishop Gorman.

Now, it's the Gaels' turn to hit the road where they'll hope to replicate Mater Dei's quick turnaround after falling from the No. 1 spot to No. 8 this week. It won't be easy against a Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles' squad that is riding high under the leadership of first-year head coach Carson Palmer.

Palmer, who played for the Eagles nearly 30 years ago, is, of course, the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner who went on to enjoy a long NFL career, playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, and Arizona Cardinals.

He has rejuvenated an Eagles' program that has spent years toiling in the shadow of the state's two Trinity League giants – those Mater Dei Monarchs that knocked off Bishop Gorman a week ago along with the nation's current No. 1 St. John Bosco [Bellflower, CA] Braves.

MORE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

No. 8 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels at No. 13 Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles

LAST WEEK'S GAME OF THE WEEK No. 7 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs 27, No. 1 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels 24

Saturday, September 27, 2025
Saddleback College Stadium | 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST local)
TV/Streaming: NFHS Network

Local Media Coverage: Las Vegas Sun High School Sports | Los Angeles Times High School Sports

School Athletics Websites: Bishop Gorman Athletics | Santa Margarita Athletics

School Social Media: Bishop Gorman Football on X.com @BishopGormanFB | Santa Margarita on X.com @SMCHSEagles

The Background

After a season-opening 7-3 loss to the Mission Viejo [CA] Diablos, Santa Margarita has strung together three wins, including a 33-27 upset in overtime at the same Centennial Huskies' squad that knocked Mater Dei out of the No. 1 spot in the SN Top 25. Big wins over the Highland [Palmdale, CA] Bulldogs (45-13) and the Oaks Christian [Westlake Village, CA] Lions (44-14) were expected, however, and by the time Saturday's game rolls around, it will have been 15 days since the Eagles have taken the field.

The earlier results suggest that Santa Margarita should be able to compete with Gorman, especially at home. After all, Margarita's win at Centennial came on the same field that Mater Dei was unable to win on before knocking off Gorman on the road. But all those games were extremely close coming down to a single play, an indication that this game might also be decided late.

Top Recruits

Bishop Gorman is well-stocked, of course, with nine seniors listed on the 247sports.com Class of 2026 for Nevada. Safety Jett Washington is the Gaels' top-ranked recruit with 5 stars, but there are plenty of other stars in the lineup, including EDGE Prince Williams (6-3, 255 lbs., Arizona), WR Massiah Mingo (New Mexico), WR Kaina Watson, and QB Maika Eugenio (Hawaii). Junior 4-star CB Hayden Stepp, meanwhile, is Nevada's top junior prospect in the Class of 2027.
Santa Margarita counters with a wealth of talent, including eight seniors ranked on 247sports.com's Class of 2026. Four-star talent includes DL Simote Katoanga (6-5, 240 lbs.) who is committed to USC along with WR Trent Mosley, but unfortunately, Mosley appears unlikely to play this weekend. Top 3-star recruits include S Logan Hirou (UCLA), DL Manoah Faupusa, CB Jayden Crowder (Cal), IOL Niniva Nicholson (6-3, 285 lbs., Arizona State), QB Trace Johnson (Tulane), and LB Ivrick Carrigan (uncommitted). Junior DL Isaia Vandermade is also a top prospect among the upperclassmen.

When Bishop Gorman has the ball ...

Eugenio has been exceptionally accurate at quarterback for the Gaels, completing more than 77 percent of his passes for 1,339 yards with 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions. His accuracy is a product of spreading the ball around evenly with four Gaels having at least 11 receptions in 2025 led by Mingo's 21 receptions for 386 yards and two touchdowns. Eugenio can also make plays with his feet, rushing for 172 yards on just 16 carries with two touchdowns, but the main cog in the running game has been sophomore Noah Cole who has racked up 234 yards while toting the rock just 22 times.

Santa Margarita's defense is built around Katoanga, Faupusa, and Vandermade upfront while Carrigan offers support from the linebacker position. The secondary is talented, but Crowder, Hirou, and company will be hard-pressed to have answers for all of Gorman's talented receiving corps which also includes a sophomore phenom. Zyren Menor has scored six times and averaged more than 25 yards a catch despite having just 11 receptions.

When Santa Margarita has the ball ...

Despite having a former Heisman-winning quarterback as a head coach, the Eagles have leaned more toward the run early in 2025 with sophomore RB Jaion Smith racking up three times as many carries as Gorman's Cole despite playing only four games to Cole's five. On 66 carries, Smith has rolled up 319 yards and five touchdowns, and that has allowed the QB Johnson to pick his spots, completing more than 70 percent of his passes for 787 yards and 7 touchdowns with only a single interception on 88 attempts.

Gorman will have to protect against the run, meaning the edge rusher Williams will have to be patient and wait for his opportunities to apply pressure on Johnson. If Smith is successful running the ball for the Eagles, then they are likely to lean even more heavily into the ground game, and that could make it tricky for a secondary led by Stepp who will have to focus on run support while trying to match wits with the quarterback Johnson in the passing game.

Keys to the game

Bishop Gorman wins if Eugenio continues his efficient play on the road and can stretch the field to open up the rushing lanes and the underneath routes. He has been highly efficient, and that combined with Menor's big play ability, could be the difference in the game, especially if it's close down the stretch. Gorman isn't afraid to air it out, and they've attempted 118 passes so far compared to just 62 rushing attempts on the season. Look for that trend to continue against Santa Margarita.

Santa Margarita wins if it can establish a running game and avoid falling behind by more than a single score at any point. If the run is working, they are likely to serve up an even heavier dose, giving Johnson the advantage with an element of surprise in the passing game. This contest could come down to a couple of big plays, and if the ground game sets up those opportunities for Johnson, then it's probably a winning formula for the Eagles.

Looking Ahead

For Bishop Gorman, this is the final chance to make any kind of statement on the national level, and it's likely that the Gaels were eliminated from national title consideration, following their loss to Mater Dei. The problem for Gorman is they only have games against in-state Nevada opponents moving forward, and they've won 152 out of 153 games against Silver State foes. Most of those come in lopsided fashion, and they just don't do much for the Gaels at the national level.

Santa Margarita, on the other hand, is very much alive on the fringe of the national championship conversation. Not only do the Eagles get a shot at Gorman, but they still have games against No. 1 St. John Bosco and No. 4 Mater Dei. If they were to somehow win all those games, they would likely be ranked as one of the Top 2 teams in the country heading into California's CIF Southern Section playoffs where they'll get opportunities to bolster their resume even further.

Series history

Santa Margarita lost back-to-back games against Bishop Gorman in 2013 (34-31 in overtime) and 2014 (41-10), but the two teams haven't played since that second meeting.