No. 23 Servite versus No. 11 Bishop Gorman is battle of rebounders

Servite (Anaheim, Calif.) football coach Troy Thomas keeps searching but he can't find it. An unfit lineman. A slow receiver. A weak-armed quarterback.

There's gotta be a weak link somewhere in Bishop Gorman's (Las Vegas, Nev.) offensive attack.

Anywhere?

A day before his team's national showdown in Las Vegas, Thomas has given up. It's all up to his sound but unspectacular defense to slow down Gorman's largely spectacular attack.

Servite, the 2009 California State Division II Bowl champion and 2010 Open Division runner-up, is No. 23 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings presented by the U.S. National Guard. Gorman (5-1) is No. 11.

Game time is 7 p.m. (PST) and will be televised live on ESPNU.

"I'm convinced, they don't have a weakness on offense," Taylor said. "And that's so rare at the high school level. Usually if a team has a strong quarterback, they have a small, slow receiver or a weak running back.

"These guys have it all."

That's no coach speak. The Gaels possess weapons everywhere and have averaged 61 points per game since a tough 20-17 loss to No. 2 Armwood on Aug. 26.

Armwood, according to Gorman coach Tony Sanchez, might have the best defense in the country. "It was the best high school defense I've ever seen," he said. "It was the best defense any of my assistants have ever seen either."

Yet, Gorman, behind the vast skills of quarterback Jarrett Solomon, running backs Shaquille Powell and Nathan Starks, along with receivers Jamir Tillman and Ryan Smith, and the raw size and power of its talented and massive offensive line, piled up 306 yards that night to 237 for Armwood.

"We did a lot of great things that night," Sanchez said. "We were disappointment with the loss but in many ways we played a great game. We just ran out of time."

The loss far all intents of purposes squashed Gorman's mythical national title hopes. But it hasn't deterred the team's pride to keep striving.

It helped that this showdown with Servite was on the horizon. The rest of Gorman's schedule is largely over-matched.

"They have a great program, great players and great coaches," Sanchez said of Servite. "We'll be challenged at every turn."

Servite knows about re-grouping.

The team was humbled in last year's CIF State Open Division title game, losing 48-8 to De La Salle (Concord).

Rather than sulk, the Friars (4-0) learned from the one-sided defeat, especially on the line where it was dominated by the smaller, quicker and more fit Spartans.

Servite trained and focused in those areas throughout the off-season and has responded with four impressive victories this season, starting with a 20-0 win over perennial San Diego Section power Oceanside, followed by a 49-14 rout of Bishop Amat.

The Friars are led offensively by multi-talented quarterback Cody Pittman (5-11, 180) and the young but talented running prowess of junior Charlie Etiaki and sophomore Andrew Moore.

Sanchez is most concerned with Pittman, a three-sport standout.

"They have a great O-line and have some really superb backs, but everything revolves around Cody Pittman," Sanchez said. "He extends plays with his feet and instincts. He has quick release and makes great decisions. He's just their main cog."

Defensively, the Friars make few mistake, swarm to the ball and boy do they hit, especially BYU-bound linebacker Butch Pauu, a 5-11, 220-pound jackhammer.

Pauu was spectacular in the victory over Oceanside, with a dozen tackles, many of that drew ooos and ahhhs on the collision meter.

"He's a real physical force," Sanchez said. "We'll try to get him into space to neutralize him somewhat, but if he starts running down hill making its, we're in trouble."

Thomas said Pauu's emotional state on the field is infectious. "He's quiet and humble off the field, but he definitely has a warrior-type spirit on it. He's a fierce competitor. He cares about his teammates and it all rubs off."

GAME NOTES: More than 1,500 tickets were allotted and sold to Servite, which left by bus Thursday morning for the 360-mile haul over the Mojave Desert. … Sanchez said it will be standing room only at the team's state-of-the-art stadium, which holds more than 5,000 fans. … Solomon has a ridiculous 143 quarterback ranking, having completed 55 of 83 (66 percent) for 909 yards, 15 touchdowns and no interceptions. … He's thrown eight touchdowns his last 13 passes (12 completions) for 317 yards. … Powell (5-11, 205) has barely had to work the last two weeks with just five carries for – get this? – 262 yards and four touchdowns. That's an average of 52.4 yards per carry. … Powell will need all that energy because he'll likely play every down on defense. He has 886 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns thus far. … Servite plays in the Trinity League, which many believe is the toughest in California, if not the nation. Thomas wasn't apologizing for playing such a tough program on the road when it has such an ominous schedule ahead. "If you don't get ready to play before (league) play, there's no guarantee you'll even make the postseason," Thomas said. "There's going to be three exceptional teams (from the Trinity League) that will be staying at home this season." ... Gorman should see the return of fullback and strong safety Marc Philippi, out with an injury since the Armwood game.