Bishop Gorman football all business with shutout win in Hawaii

Bishop Gorman quarterback Maika Eugenio is shown during the first half of the Class 5A, Division-I, high school football state championship at Allegiant Stadium Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Photo by: Steve Marcus

To sit in the bleachers with a Bishop Gorman crowd is almost surreal.

Local people speaking in pidgin, laughing and cheering for a team loaded with Hawaiian and Polynesian football talent. Ranked third in the nation, the Gaels have enjoyed what coach Brent Browner calls a “business trip, ” but the biggest fun was a 38-0 win over a resilient, but overmatched Kahuku squad on Saturday night at Carleton E. Weimer Field.

It was a win in each of three phases—offense, defense and special teams. Bishop Gorman kicker Hudson Borsari sent four kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks, adding a field goal. With the game televised live statewide, the performance was, inadvertently, a possible free advertisement for one of the nation’s top football programs.

“I feel humbled and grateful to Kahuku for having us. Obviously, we have a big tie with the islands as (Las Vegas ) being the ‘Ninth Island.’ We have a lot of players with families from here, ” Browner said. “The hospitality, all the things that went along with Kahuku, everywhere we’ve been on the island it’s been amazing. We appreciate everybody here, and the crowd was great. We brought a lot of people here.”

Bishop Gorman’s offense brought the fireworks, but its lockdown defense was the real show.

Junior middle linebacker Tamatoa Gaoteote, who grew up in Halawa, was busy leading a persistent Gaels defensive front that often penetrated and disrupted Kahuku’s offense.

“Being away from family, you miss all your family down here, ” Gaoteote said. “It’s a blessing to come back home and play against these guys. They’re a great team. They work hard. Our No. 1 priority was playing our ball. We know what we have to do, do our job 100% and trust in our brothers. Our defensive coordinator, coach (Michael ) Cosgrove had a plan. The QB got injured last game, pulled his hamstring, so we wanted to blitz him.”

UH commit Maika Eugenio, who grew up in Hawaii, passed for 367 yards (31-for-38 ) and three touchdowns in the victory. His young, nimble offensive line contained Kahuku’s fierce pass rush, permitting just two sacks.

“The atmosphere here is awesome. The way that these (Kahuku ) kids play, they’re warriors. It’s a tough, hard-fought game. We’re physical, and to play a team just as physical as us is impressive, ” Browner said. “To hear them sing the alma mater as a whole group is cool.”