Video: Bishop Gorman named Xcellent 25 champions
The Gaels end the season 15-0 and the No. 1 team in nation.
The Bishop Gorman Gaels had one of the toughest non-league schedules we've seen in quite some time and it was no problem for the Las Vegas power.
They beat St. Thomas Aquinas in triple overtime in arguably the best game of the year to cap off their brutal non-league schedule that also included wins over Cedar Hill, Cocoa, Kahuku and St. John Bosco.
They outscored these five opponents 185-75, with four of the five wins by double-digits.
The Gaels enter next season riding the second longest active winning streak in high school football at 54. Win No. 54 came in the Nevada 4A state championship game against a very good Liberty team, and the 84-8 thrashing was probably the best they played all season. It was Gorman's eighth consecutive state title, and also the third straight 15-0 season for the Gaels.
Bishop Gorman has had some great teams in the past but this might have been its best single season. On offense they were led by 4-star Ohio State commit
Tate Martell, who finished his senior season with over 3,500 total yards and 62 total touchdowns. Martell finished his career at Bishop Gorman 43-0 record as the starting quarterback. The defense also was lights out this year led by seniors
Haskell Garrett and
Bubba Bolden, finishing 2016 allowing less than 10 points per game.
MaxPreps Final Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Bishop Gorman finishes the 2016 season as the No. 1 ranked team.
Graphic by Ryan Escobar
Season complete. Nevada class 4A state champions.
2. (2) DeSoto (Texas), 16-0Season complete. Texas 6A-D2 UIL state champions.
3. (3) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 11-0Season complete.
4. (4) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), 14-1Season complete. Georgia class 7A state champions.
5. (5) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 13-2Season complete. CIF open division state champions.
6. (6) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 13-2St. Thomas Aquinas capped off its remarkable season with a 33-25 win over No. 19 Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) in the Geico State Champions Bowl Series in Frisco, Texas. It was the final high school football game of the season and featured two of the best teams in the country. The Raiders won their 10th state championship in school history, joining Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.) as the only two teams from Florida to have at least 10 state titles in school history. They also became the first team from Broward County to win three state championships in a row after dominating Plant (Tampa, Fla) in the 7A state final.
Season complete. Florida class 7A state champions.
7. (7) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 15-1Season complete. Texas 6A-D1 UIL state champions.
8 (8) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 13-0Season complete. Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champs.
9. (9) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 13-1Season complete.
10. (10) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 14-0Season complete. Florida class 5A state champions.
11. (11) Roswell (Ga.), 14-1Season complete.
12. (12) St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia), 14-0Season complete. Pennsylvania class 6A state champions.
13. (13) Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 14-0Season complete. Arizona class 4A state champions.
14. (14) Cass Tech (Detroit), 14-0Season complete. Division 1 state champions.
15. (15) Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 11-2Season complete.
16. (17) Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), 15-0Season complete. Kentucky class 6A state champions.
17. (18) Chandler (Chandler, Ariz.), 13-2Chandler finished 2016 as one of the hottest teams in the country winning its final 11 games. They were the second to last game this season as they had no trouble with Valdosta (Ga.) in the first game of the Geico State Champions Bowl Series. They won 44-24 behind a strong game from Oregon State bound running back
T.J. Green and sophomore quarterback
Jacob Conover. Chandler's only two losses this season came against Corona Centennial in its season opener and Mountain Pointe. They avenged the Mountain Pointe loss in the 6A state championship game with a dominant 36-17 win to claim their second state title in three years.
Season complete. Arizona class 6A state champions.
18. (19) East (Salt Lake City), 14-0Season complete. Utah class 4A state champions.
19. (16) Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), 14-1Despite losing to St. Thomas Aquinas in the Geico State Champions Bowl Series it was still a great season for the Utah power. The Miners almost made a remarkable fourth-quarter comeback. Trailing 30-0 entering the final 12 minutes, the Miners fell eight points and an onside kick short. Bingham outscored the Raiders 25-3 in the final frame but Aquinas was able to recover the onside kick with under a minute left to seal the deal. Bingham still cruised to a 14-1 record that included winning its third state title in a four year span.
Season complete. Utah class 5A state champions.
20. (20) South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.), 14-1Season complete. South Carolina class 4A state champions.
21. (21) Cocoa (Fla.), 12-1Season complete. Florida class 4A state champions.
22. (22) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.), 15-0Season complete. CIF division 1-AA state champions.
23. (23) Hoover (Ala.), 12-2Season complete. Alabama class 7A state champions
24. (24) St. Xavier (Cincinnati), 10-5Season complete. Division 1 state champions.
25. (25) Aledo (Texas), 16-0Season complete. Texas 5A-D2 UIL state champions.
Bubble TeamsUnion (Tulsa, Okla.), 11-2Season complete. Oklahoma class 6A-I state champions.
St. Louis (Honolulu), 10-1Season complete. Hawaii open division state champions.
The Woodlands (Texas), 15-1Season complete.
Steele (Cibolo, Texas), 14-2Season complete.
West Orange-Stark (Orange, Texas), 16-0Season complete. Texas 4A-D2 UIL state champions.
