Chandler loses RB Chase Lucas to injury, falls to Bishop Gorman
Chandler, down one star player early in the game, had to lean on another, and it wasn’t enough to overcome the defending mythical national champions on the ESPNU stage at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman on Saturday night.
Bishop Gorman’s speed, led by the grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, blew past Chandler, the No.1-ranked team in Arizona, 35-14, in the opener for Gaels with former defensive coordinator Kenny Sanchez in his first game as head coach.
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Junior running back Biaggio Ali-Walsh scored on a 55-yard run to give the Gaels the lead for good midway through the first quarter, according to a report by the Las Vegas Sun.
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Bishop Gorman was No.3 nationally and Chandler 20th by USA Today entering Saturday’s showdown.
Chandler's heralded running back, Chase Lucas, suffered an injury early in the game on a kickoff return and didn't return, according to MaxPreps.com.
'I am OK,' Lucas said. 'I will be back very soon.'
Without Lucas, Chandler tried to get wide receiver N’Keal Harry more involved with short passes and senior quarterback Mason Moran tried to make plays with his legs.
Both of Chandler’s touchdowns came on running plays by Moran, including a 44-yarder.
Chandler (1-1) now must get ready to play Friday at Scottsdale Chaparral (1-0).
Brothers in Arms Classic
Chaparral, Phoenix Brophy Prep and Phoenix Mountain Pointe all won their games in the Under Armour Brothers in Arms Classic at Cathedral Catholic High in San Diego on Saturday.
Chaparral pulled the biggest surprise, getting off to a great start against La Mesa Helix and holding on for a 23-19 victory. Helix came into the opener ranked No.1 in the San Diego Section.
Chaparral got three short rushing touchdowns and a safety. It also collected five sacks and limited Helix to less than 100 passing yards.
Senior strong safety Kurt Shughart, one of the mainstays on defense, had two rushing TDs for the Firebirds, who were playing their opener.
“It gives us some confidence going into next week,” Shughart said. “It was a good test for us to come out and play a good team like that. We look forward to playing Chandler.”
. Phoenix Mountain Pointe, in a back-and-forth game, outlasted Bakersfield 43-40, as Ke’shawn Churchwell keyed the win with a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown with less than two minutes to play.
Bakersfield scored a touchdown with nine seconds to play, but Mountain Pointe (2-0) ran out the clock after recovering the ensuing on-side kick.
. Brophy Prep (2-0) got 187 rushing yards from Ryan Velez in a 30-12 victory over Carlsbad (Calif.) in the last of the triple header. Velez carried 18 times and scored one touchdown.
Quarterback Cade Knox was 10 of 24 passing for 124 yards and a TD. He also ran for a score.
Noah Pittenger had 46 yards rushing and 62 yards receiving.
All of Carlsbad’s points came in the final quarter. Brophy has allowed just the 12 points in two games.
Flagstaff Kickoff Classic
Phoenix Northwest Christian defeated Fountain Hills 49-0 on Friday night, as quarterback Drew Inness completed 7 of 8 passes for 167 yards and two TDs, and running back Travis Pollay carried nine times for 109 yards at Northern Arizona’s Walkup Skydome.
Ray Kindred caught three passes for 130 yards and a score.
Tanner Van Hofwegen scored three TDs on five of his carries and finished with 60 yards. Trace Maguire added two rushing scores for the top-ranked (Division IV) Crusaders.
. Phoenix Greenway extended Phoenix North Canyon’s losing streak to 16 games with a 21-6 victory Saturday at the Walkup Skydome.