FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Bishop Gorman’s stay atop the national rankings didn’t last long. Unranked Columbus of Miami pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the young high school football season Saturday, stunning No. 1 Bishop Gorman 33-28 at the Broward County High School National Football Showcase.
And nobody made a bigger impact than A’Mir Sears. The five-star Miami commit delivered a spectacular two-way performance, catching two touchdown passes on offense while intercepting Bishop Gorman quarterback Ace Amina three times on defense.
Sears’ fingerprints were everywhere as Columbus built a commanding advantage, weathered a furious fourth-quarter comeback and improved to 2-0 one season after finishing just 4-8.
Columbus wasted little time showing that it wasn’t intimidated by the nation’s top-ranked team. With the Explorers already leading 7-0 late in the first quarter, Sears intercepted Amina near midfield.
Columbus needed only 22 seconds to make Bishop Gorman pay. Senior quarterback Kai Moore connected with Sears for a touchdown, extending the Explorers’ lead to 14-0.
Six minutes later, they did it again. Moore found Sears for his second touchdown reception, and suddenly Columbus held a stunning 20-0 advantage over the nation’s No. 1 team.
Sears wasn’t the only Explorer putting on a show. Moore, a Northern Illinois commit, shredded the Bishop Gorman defense for more than 400 passing yards and four touchdowns.
His first touchdown went to running back and fellow Northern Illinois commit Cecil Smith, before Sears became his primary weapon during Columbus’ first-half surge.
Bishop Gorman Answers
The Gaels weren’t going away quietly. Amina began bringing Bishop Gorman back before halftime, connecting with senior Trent Walker for a touchdown before delivering one of the biggest plays of the game.
Amina found freshman Michael Blackmond for a 74-yard touchdown as the first half came to a close, giving the Gaels some desperately needed momentum.
Bishop Gorman had been rocked early, but the nation’s No. 1 team was still alive. Sears made sure the comeback wouldn’t come easily.
With Columbus leading 23-15 in the third quarter and Bishop Gorman threatening, Sears intercepted Amina for the second time, killing another Gaels possession.
It was becoming the type of performance that can define a player’s high school career. But Sears wasn’t finished.
Columbus Delivers the Knockout Punch
After Bishop Gorman missed a field goal, Columbus went back on the attack. Moore connected with junior Tony Brown III for a 28-yard touchdown with 9:43 remaining, pushing the Explorers’ advantage to 30-15.
Then the game became even more chaotic. On the ensuing kickoff, Columbus junior Chanavis Chance Jr. forced a fumble and sophomore Zacari Isaac recovered it deep in Bishop Gorman territory.
Junior kicker Matteo Miller converted the extra possession into three points, extending Columbus’ lead to 33-15 with 7:58 remaining.
Less than two minutes later, Sears struck again. Amina tried to bring the Gaels back, but Sears intercepted him for the third time with 6:28 remaining.
Two touchdown catches. Three interceptions. Against the No. 1 team in America. It was an extraordinary performance on one of the biggest stages of the high school football season.
Gorman Makes One Last Push
Even down 18 points late in the fourth quarter, Bishop Gorman refused to surrender. Amina connected with seniors Aizen Costales-Torres and Azavier McDaniel for touchdowns, cutting what had been an 18-point Columbus advantage to just five at 33-28.
The Gaels even recovered an onside kick between the two scores, giving them hope of completing an improbable comeback. Suddenly, Columbus’ celebration was on hold. Bishop Gorman needed one more piece of magic. It never came.
On the Gaels’ final onside-kick attempt, Columbus junior Fernando Suarez-Solis secured the football and finally allowed the Explorers to celebrate one of the biggest victories in program history.
No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas Is Next
There won’t be much time for Columbus to celebrate. Things are about to get even bigger. Columbus, which entered the weekend at No. 100 in the expanded national rankings, will face No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas on Sept. 4.
That means the Explorers will go from beating the No. 1 team in America directly into another matchup against one of the nation’s elite programs.
Bishop Gorman, meanwhile, will have to regroup after a dramatic eight-day swing. The Gaels climbed to No. 1 after defeating previous No. 1 St. John Bosco 38-28 in the MaxPreps Game of the Week.
Eight days later, they became the victims of an even bigger upset. That’s the nature of national high school football. One week you’re celebrating a victory over the No. 1 team in the country. Make no mistake that Columbus will be making a huge jump in the rankings and could very well land into the top ten.
The next week, everybody is coming for you. On Saturday, Columbus came for Bishop Gorman. And A’Mir Sears took everything with him.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
