Bishop Gorman vs St. Thomas Aquinas Football Delayed

Florida lightning delayed the playing of the highly anticipated high school football game between Bishop Gorman High School from Nevada and St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida. The match, which was to be broadcasted on ESPN, featured two of the country’s premier teams, both in the top few of the nation’s SBLive/SI Top 25 national rankings. These teams are not just two football programs; they are also two high schools that serve as breeding grounds to future NFL stars.

Bishop Gorman, from Las Vegas, has long been home to one of the country’s elite high school football programs. Recently, its graduating classes have included players like Rome Odunze, who the Seattle Seahawks drafted in the seventh round last spring, and Edefuan Olofoshio, whom the club signed as an undrafted free agent. The current team’s roster is full of highly recruited players. These two facts imply that as high school football powerhouse, the school boasts one of the nation’s top NFL talent-producing programs.

The other side of the football has a similar story. Though not as renowned as some of Florida other programs like Miami Northwestern or IMG Academy, St. Thomas Aquinas competes at the same level. It also sends its graduates to play in the NFL. Joey and Nick Bosa, both of whom were exceptional prospects out of Ohio, went on to become top draft choices. The school’s current roster features Justice Fitzpatrick, a four-star safety who will excel at the college and eventually in the NFL level.

The status of these schools as predominant post-college football destinations is part of a larger trend. High school programs in some states across the country are gradually becoming more critical in the recruitment of players for the college games. With the renown and top-level recruits associated with these two high schools, such a contest is no longer confined to the stage of a simple preparation contest. It offers the young players in both of the team a national platform from which they can potentially draw more scouts interest and influence their promising future sports careers.

Aside from the broader impacts on high school athletics being highlighted, these types of games have a significant impact on smaller local communities. The programs in Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale contribute to local pride and help to foster communities in their respective neighborhoods. They also provide opportunities that many students would not be able to find elsewhere and thus play a significant role in their education and life development. While unfortunate, the delay as a result of lighting further serves to increase the hype for a game that attempts to shed light on the central role of high school in exciting sports culture.