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SOUTH JORDAN - Utah's hottest high school football rivalry continues when the Bingham Miners host the Alta Hawks under the Friday Night Lights.
"Oh there's nothing better than this," says Alta wide receiver Tyron Morris. "Love it, love it."
These two teams are coached to focus on the next game in front of them but players will admit they think about this one all year long.
"We try to play it week-by-week but there is always that excitement for the Alta week," says Bingham center Bradyn Heap. "It's always gonna be a good game."
More than 10,000 fans are expected to fill the Miners stadium Friday night when Alta and Bingham face each other for the 12 time since 2001. During that span the Miners have a 6-5 edge but recently Alta has had the edge. The Hawks have won three straight against Bingham including last year's 5A State Championship.
"It haunts you every time you see an Alta kid, an Alta shirt," says Bingham running back Harvey Langi. "Any time you see that team anywhere you get tense."
Bingham is looking for payback after giving up an 11 point 4th quarter lead in last year's championship game. Alta expects a battle on Friday.
"They're comin' for us," says Morris. "They're comin' strong. All we have to do is bring it back, bring it back hard."
There will be plenty of intensity on the field Friday night but there is also mutual respect and many friendships between these neighboring schools that make the rivalry even better.
"We're great friends with them and we have huge respect for each other," says Alta kicker Moose Bingham. "We just love this game. It's a chance to go out there and play with your friends and it's always intense."
This rivalry seems to get better with age as each year these teams put on one epic battle after another.
"Every year it gets bigger and better," says Bingham safety Travis McRae. "The crowds, the rivalry itself, the talent pool keeps on increasing, it's amazing."
Friday's game kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Bingham High School football field.
E-mail: jjensen@ksl.com
