In a matchup between two of the most well known high school football programs in the nation, the Bishop Gorman Gaels (Las Vegas) reigned supreme against the Bellevue Wolverines.

The Gaels delivered a 35-7 victory against the Wolverines in front of a packed house on Sept. 11 at Bellevue Memorial Stadium. The Gaels improved their overall record to 3-0 while Bellevue dropped to 0-1. Bishop Gorman running back Biaggio Walsh had 15 carries for 164 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Walsh’s 37-yard touchdown run with 4:48 left in the first quarter gave his team a 14-0 lead. Walsh also scored on a 1-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the game, giving the Gaels an early 7-0 lead. Bellevue assistant coach Rick Brown said Walsh was a tough running back to slow down.

“He is a tough runner and he ran hard. It was the first game of the season and we just couldn’t corral him,” Brown said.

Bellevue running back Ercle Terrell agreed wholeheartedly with Brown’s sentiment.

“He is a beast,” Terrell said of Walsh. “He runs downhill and he’s a good player.”

Turnovers derailed the Wolverines opportunities on offense in the first half. Because of Bishop Gorman’s ball control offense, the Wolverines had just four offensive possessions in the first 24 minutes of play. Bellevue turned the ball over on downs after a failed fake punt on their first possession. On their second and third possessions, they lost fumbles and time expired on their fourth and final possession of the first half deep in Bishop Gorman territory.

Terrell, who rushed for a team-high 165 yards in the loss for the Wolverines, said his squad will rebound from the loss.

“We just got to finish games. We had a lot of mistakes but we can pick up on it and just continue with our success,” Terrell said. “Much respect to them, they came out and played a good game.”

Bishop Gorman head coach Kenny Sanchez was thrilled to see his team control the line of scrimmage and improve to 3-0 on the season.

“This is the third game in a row where we have had over 120 to 130 yards rushing. Give credit to those big boys (offensive line) up front. They have been fighting for three weeks now against three out-of-state teams and they have been playing hard,” Sanchez said. “This was a great high school football game. It was a great atmosphere and it never gets old.”

The head coach was also impressed with Walsh’s electric performance against Bellevue.

“He is a great football player, a great running back and a great team player,” Sanchez said of Walsh. “We’re happy for him.”

Bellevue will face the Mercer Island Islanders in their second regular season game at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18 in Mercer Island.

Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@bellevuereporter.com