Bishop Gorman football will 'get it fixed' after narrow loss to Mater Dei

Prince Williams of Bishop Gorman High School responds to a question during the annual Las Vegas Sun High School Football Media Day at Red Rock Resort Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus

Bishop Gorman’s football team fell just short Friday night, losing by three points to visiting powerhouse Mater Dei of California in a thrilling clash between national contenders before a standing-room-only crowd.

The narrow defeat stung all the more because victory felt within reach for the Gaels.

Against elite competition like Mater Dei, however, there’s little margin for error — a reality coach Brett Browner acknowledged after watching his team fall 27-24 in the back and forth affair.

“Gave it away,” Browner said. He later added, “That’s a good football team we played. You know, we’re a really good football team. It’s razor thin, man. The margin at this level is razor thin. Two mistakes, three mistakes is just the difference between the game.”

The Gaels had a few plays they’d like back: A holding penalty late in the second quarter that nixed a defensive touchdown; some mishaps in the kicking game, and struggling to get off the field on third down in the second half.

“We make one less mistake, they make one more mistake and it’s a three point game the other way,” Browner said.

The game’s pivotal moment came just before halftime, with Gorman leading 14-11.

Prince Williams appeared to deliver a game-changing play when he scooped up a fumble and sprinted roughly 40 yards to the end zone. For a brief moment, the scoreboard even read 20-11 in the Gaels’ favor. 

But a holding penalty nullified the score and Mater Dei capitalized on the reprieve. Chris Henry Jr. hauled in a deep pass down to the Gorman 1-yard line, setting up a field goal that knotted the score at 14-14 heading into the break.

The teams exchanged leads in the second half, but Mater Dei’s star power reigned supreme. USC commit Mark Bowman had two touchdowns; the Ohio State pledge Henry scored the game-winner.

Gorman entered ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today. Many considered this the de facto national championship game.

Gorman will have to settle for a top-10 national ranking and a shot at another Nevada state championship. They’ve won all but one Nevada title since 2009.

“It definitely falls 100% on me, but I am going to get it fixed like I always do,” Browner said. “You learn more from the losses than you do from a win.”

Quarterback Maika Eugenio passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, but couldn’t lead his team down the field in the final two minutes. A fourth down pass came up short around midfield for a turnover on downs to seal the Mater Dei win.

And Gorman’s star power was also impressive: Five-star recruit Jett Washington, who is committed to Oregon, had a second-half interception.

College coaches from Ohio State, Minnesota and Arizona were among those in attendance. The game also drew popular social media influencer Adam Botkin, a former University of Montana kicker with more than 2 million YouTube followers who travels the nation promoting high school football.

“This is the best high school experience you could have,” Browner said. “Yeah, it didn’t go our way.  Yeah, it’s probably not how we want to feel after it. But this was a (great) atmosphere, a (great) game against two top talents in the country. I don’t think (you’ll) see another one like this all year.”