Powell leads Bishop Gorman against McQueen in Nevada 4A title game

Shaquille Powell might only be a junior, but the Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) running back/defensive back certainly knows his history.

Ask Powell about McQueen (Reno), the Gaels' opponent in Saturday's Class 4A state championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, and he is well aware of what the Lancers have accomplished over the last two decades.

"McQueen is a good team and they have good tradition," Powell said of a program that is making its third appearance in the state final in the last four years. "I remember watching them a few years ago when they played Gorman."

Of course, Powell also knows what is at stake on Saturday for his school. Not only are the Gaels the defending state champions and looking for their third title in four years, Gorman is looking to win back-to-back titles for the first time since capturing the 3A crown in 1982 and 1983, a point certainly not lost on Powell or his teammates.

"That would be a great thing for me and my brothers out here," Powell said. "We want to go down in history as one of the best Gorman teams ever to play. Obviously it (winning back-to-back state titles) hasn't been done in a really long time. We just have to go out and do what we do best, and that's win."

While Gorman has started to gain a national reputation as it plays some of the top teams in the western part of the country - the Gaels' only losses this year came to undefeated Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) along with nationally-ranked De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) - McQueen has been one of Nevada's flagship programs for some time. The Lancers have won six state titles and are making their 12th appearance in the state final since 1990.

This will be the first meeting between Gorman (12-2), which is No. 1 in the MaxPreps state rankings, and the No. 3 Lancers (12-1) since the 2007 state title game that was won by the Gaels 38-17.

"It should be no surprise to anyone that McQueen and Bishop Gorman are playing in the state championship game," Lancers second-year coach Jim Snelling said. "The kids have high expectations of themselves and both schools have a lot of tradition. It's an honor for us to represent northern Nevada, but hopefully we're not just representing. Hopefully we can come back with a state championship."

To do that, the Lancers face the formidable task of slowing down Powell and the Bishop Gorman offense. Powell, who is expected to be one of the state's top recruits in the Class of 2012, missed five games with a left hamstring injury, but is now back to 100 percent.

In last week's 28-10 win over Palo Verde (Las Vegas) in the Sunset Region final, Powell rushed for 158 yards, including a 50-yard scoring run in the third quarter in which he stiff-armed one defender and outran another to the end zone. It was the first 100-yard game for Powell since he rushed for 113 on Sept. 25 against De La Salle and gave him 1,217 yards and 16 touchdowns for the season.

"Last week there was an emphasis on who was the best running back and I knew deep down I had to prove something to (Las) Vegas," Powell said of his matchup with Palo Verde senior running back Brandon Wright. "I try to stay consistent and stay in the running for who is the best back in Nevada."

Gorman coach Tony Sanchez has no doubt who that is.

"I do think when it comes to championship football, you've got to be able to establish the run," Sanchez said. "Shaquille Powell is the best running back in the state. ... He's fast and he's physical. If we need to get into a double-tight (end) set and ask him to get three yards and a cloud of dust, he'll ram his face right in the pile and get it.

"I don't think there's a lot of backs that have the grace that he does and the moves, but at the same time can get those hard yards and catch the ball out of the backfield. There's other really good backs, but I don't think any of them are as complete as Shaq."

During Powell's absence, sophomore Justin Sweet (731 yards, nine touchdowns), freshman Nathen Starks (316 yards, four touchdowns) and senior Jordan Welte (301 yards, eight touchdowns) picked up the slack. Along with standout sophomore quarterback Jarrett Solomon (2,233 yards, 38 touchdowns, four interceptions) and big-play wide receivers Ryan Smith (36 catches, 846 yards, 14 touchdowns) and Jamir Tilman (29 catches, 387 yards, eight touchdowns), the Gaels' offensive balance is the biggest concern for Snelling.

"They're a good football team and they don't have a lot of weak spots," Snelling said. "The quarterback knows how to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers. They have a great running back, probably one of the best we've seen all year and it's going to take a great effort to contain him, but they have other weapons as well."

If any team can slow down the Gaels, it might be McQueen, which is riding an eight-game winning streak and has one of the state's top defenses. The Lancers are allowing 11.1 points per game and bottled up Liberty (Henderson) in a 7-6 state semifinal victory in the snow last week.

McQueen scored on a 69-yard halfback pass from Nick Shepard to Rollins Stallworth and made it stand up as the defense forced two turnovers, had two key fourth-down stops and also stuffed Liberty on a 2-point conversion attempt midway through the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference in the game.

"They're very good on defense, very sound," Sanchez said. "They're going to make you earn everything you get. They're not going to give up a lot of big plays. They're not going to give away cheap touchdowns and they're fantastic on special teams. That really popped out to us, the discipline they play with on special teams, which you don't see week in and week out."

McQueen's defense and special teams will have to play well as the Lancers are expected to be without at least two of their top players. Shepherd, who was the Northern 4A player of the year and ran for 1,545 yards and 19 touchdowns, is out with a knee injury he suffered in the fourth quarter of the victory over Liberty. Stallworth, a wide receiver/safety, suffered a concussion late in that game and will also miss Saturday's contest.

In addition, McQueen's backup running back Arnold Carillo suffered a concussion early in the second half against Liberty and did not return. It is unknown whether Carillo will be cleared in time to face Gorman, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

"We have some guys out, but offensively we adapt every week. That's one thing I think is our strength," Snelling said. "We expected to be here. Now we're close to achieving our final goal and the bottom line is we have to play really, really well to do that. And that's the way it should be."

BISHOP GORMAN, PALO VERDE SET ATTENDANCE RECORD
The Sunset Region final between Bishop Gorman and host Palo Verde set a southern Nevada record for the largest paid attendance at a football game, according to the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

The crowd of 4,102 topped the previous mark of 3,773, which was set in 2009 when the same two schools met in the Sunset Region semifinals. The total is also the fourth-highest paid attendance in state history.

The NIAA's record came in 2002 when 4,908 paying fans watched McQueen top host Reno in the Northern Region championship game. Media and Washoe County School District personnel estimated the actual crowd to be 6,500, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

In 2005, Las Vegas beat Hug (Reno) at Mackay Stadium in Reno for the state championship before a paid attendance of 4,727. The actual attendance, as determined by counters, was 5,535.

The largest crowd to ever see a football playoff game in Nevada was in 2000 when 9,005 fans packed Mackay Stadium for the state final between McQueen and Wooster (Reno), although the paid attendance was actually 4,612 as many were able to enjoy the game thanks to the NIAA's lenient pass policy along with numerous free admissions.

The NIAA does not keep records of regular-season attendance figures.

David Schoen works at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and is a former Associate Sports Editor and Turn2 columnist for the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune. You can reach him at ByDavid1@aol.com.