Any chance Arbor View had to hang on with Bishop Gorman in the Class 5A Division I football state championship game came down to a fourth-and-16 late in the first quarter.

The Gaels were in control and had a 14-point lead. Their defense had been stout early on, ending any chance of defeat for the title.

Gorman defensive end Jett Washington intercepted Arbor View’s Thaddeus Thatcher in the end zone and returned him to the Aggies’ 34-yard line. Two plays later, Gaels quarterback Maika Eugenio threw his third touchdown pass of the first quarter, a 2-yard score to Trent Walker.

The top-seeded Gaels never looked back, crushing No. 2 Arbor View 69-7 to win the state title Tuesday night at Allegiant Stadium. The entire second half was played on the running clock. It is Gorman’s fourth straight state title and 21st overall.

Eugenio completed all five of his passes in the first quarter, including touchdowns of 38, 30 and 2 yards. The junior right-hander completed 12 of 15 passes for 274 yards and five touchdowns in the first half. Eugenio, who did not play in the second half, completed passes to nine receivers and five Gaels caught touchdowns.

Gorman’s defense showed up well in the first half. The Gaels, ranked fourth nationally by MaxPreps, allowed just 32 yards of offense and added three sacks and three tackles for loss.

In the regular season, Gorman (11-1) rolled to a 49-14 win at Arbor View (10-2) on Oct. 10. The 14 points were the most points the Gaels had allowed to a local team this season.

The Gaels kept the pedal to the metal in the second quarter. Eugenio connected for LSU and gave Derek Meadows a long pass that wiped out several yards on one of the Gaels’ 11 first-half penalties. But seven plays later, Eugenio hit running back Terrance Grant Jr. for a three-yard score on fourth down to go up 28-0.

It didn’t take long for Gorman to strike again. It recovered the ensuing onside kick and on the next play, Eugenio threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Aizen Torres for a 34-0 lead after the extra point was missed.

After Gorman’s defense forced a three-and-out, Myles Norman found the end zone on a two-yard run to activate the running clock. The Gaels made a special teams play late in the first half when Alexander Perez blocked an Arbor View punt and took it in the end zone for another touchdown.

Gorman went into halftime with a 48-0 lead.

Eugenio had first-quarter touchdown passes of 38 yards to Meadows and a strike of 30 yards to defensive back Isaiah Nickels.

The Gaels’ defense made life tough for an Arbor View offense that is averaging more than 395 yards and 38 points per game. The Aggies were held to minus-14 rushing yards in the first half, and Thatcher completed just 9 of 18 passes for 46 in the first half while under constant pressure.

Washington, a four-star 2026 recruit, added a tackle for loss, and Utah commit Sione Motuapuaka recorded two sacks for the Gaels.

Arbor View got on the scoreboard on a four-yard TD pass to Sean Moore with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter.

Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.