Bishop Gorman will get another shot at one of the nation’s top high school football teams on Friday night.
The Gaels, ranked No. 8 nationally by MaxPreps, play at No. 13 Mater Dei (California) at 7 p.m. Friday at Santa Ana Stadium.
Gorman is 0-5 all-time against Mater Dei and the two programs usually play a close game.
Here’s a look back at all five meetings between the two football powerhouse programs:
2017: Mater Dei 35, Bishop Gorman 21
Gorman entered this matchup as the three-time defending national champion and was on a 55-game winning streak.
But its run of dominance came to an end in its first meeting with Mater Dei on Sept. 1 in Santa Ana. It was the Gaels’ first defeat since a 28-12 loss to Booker T. Washington (Florida) on Oct. 4, 2013.
Future Southern California and Georgia quarterback J.T. Daniels completed 19 of 31 passes for 309 yards and threw two TDs for Mater Dei, which went on to go 15-0 and win the national title.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 16 of 39 passes for 344 yards with two TDs and two interceptions for Gorman, which finished the year 13-2.
Cedric Tillman, who is on the New Orleans Saints practice squad, added 182 receiving yards and a touchdown for Gorman, which trailed 14-7 at halftime and cut the deficit to 28-21. Tight end Brevin Jordan, now with the Houston Texans, had 100 receiving yards for Gorman.
2018: Mater Dei 42, Bishop Gorman 0
Current Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young threw for 256 yards with four TDs and ran for another TD for Mater Dei as the Monarchs rolled past Gorman to trigger the running clock for the Gaels at Fertitta Field on Aug. 24.
It was the first time the Gaels were shut out since Sept. 16, 2006, by Rock Bridge (Missouri).
Gorman had 65 yards of offense in the second half. The Gaels failed to capitalize on a pair of early turnovers and could not convert on fourth-and-goal just before halftime trailing 14-0.
Mater Dei finished 14-1 and won its second straight national title. Gorman started 1-3 in 2018 but finished 11-3.
2022: Mater Dei 24, Bishop Gorman 21
Gorman held 14-point leads twice in the game, but No. 3 Mater Dei scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to rally for the win on Aug. 26 at Fertitta Field.
Mater Dei converted 25-yard field goal with three minutes left, and the Monarchs defense forced a turnover on downs on the following possession to seal the win.
Gorman quarterback Micah Alejado, now at Hawaii, threw TD passes to Elija Lofton (Miami) and Trech Kekahuna (North Carolina) to go ahead 14-0. Alejado later connected with Zachariah Branch (Atlanta Falcons) in the third quarter to put the Gaels ahead 21-7.
Gorman finished 14-1 in 2022 and was ranked fourth nationally by MaxPreps. Mater Dei finished ranked No. 2 at 12-1, with its only loss coming against eventual national champion St. John Bosco in the postseason.
2024: Mater Dei 31, Bishop Gorman 15
Gorman entered as the reigning defending national champion and with a 27-game winning streak, but the streak and a chance at a fifth national title came to an end on Sept. 6 in Santa Ana.
Mater Dei took an early 14-0 lead and never looked back enroute to a 31-15 victory.
Gorman was shut out in the first quarter and started to get momentum when the Gaels brought Maika Eugenio off the bench and he threw a 4-yard touchdown pass before halftime to cut the deficit to 14-7.
But that’s as close as it would be the rest of the way as Mater Dei scored the next 17 points and defeated the Gaels. Gorman finished 11-1 and was No. 4 in the country, while Mater Dei won a seventh national title.
2025: Mater Dei 27, Bishop Gorman 24
Gorman entered the most recent matchup ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today and appeared to have momentum on its side in the fourth quarter, but the Gaels couldn’t get their first win over Mater Dei.
Mater Dei scored on a 37-yard TD pass from Ryan Hopkins (Wisconsin) to current Ohio State freshman Chris Henry Jr. to give the Monarchs a 27-24 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Gorman, in what was a back-and-forth game, had one last chance in the fourth quarter, but Mater Dei stopped Terrance Grant Jr. two yards short on a fourth-and-3 pass.
The Gaels had a 14-11 lead with a minute left before halftime after a 1-yard Eugenio touchdown run, but Mater Dei got down the field and got a 23-yard field goal to tie the game at 14 at the break.
“We gave it away, we gave it away, “ Gorman coach Brent Browner said after the loss in 2025. “Simple point. My fault. I must have done something wrong in between preparation for this week. We weren’t prepared. We didn’t take care of stuff, so it definitely falls 100 percent on me.
“You learn more from the losses than you do from a win. It’s a good football team that we played. 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 the difference in the game.”
Gorman finished 11-1 and ranked No. 3 nationally by MaxPreps while Mater Dei finished No. 9 at 8-3.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Up next
Who: No. 8 Bishop Gorman (3-1) at No. 13 Mater Dei (California) (4-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Santa Ana Stadium, Santa Ana, California
Stream: NFHS Network
All-time series: Mater Dei 5-0
