Secondary shines in No. 1 Bingham's 31-7 win over No. 3 Herriman


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SOUTH JORDAN — The defense for No. 1 Bingham didn’t play bad in the first half against No. 3 Herriman, starting the game with three-straight 3-and-outs and holding the Mustangs to a 7-7 tie at halftime.

But with two of three plays to start the third quarter, the Miner defense turned the game on its head.

Senior linebacker Daniel Langi’s fumble recovery on the first play of the half set up quarterback Kyle Gearig’s 11-yard touchdown dash, and senior cornerback Dominieke Jones added a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown to help the Miners (2-0) sprint past the Mustangs 31-7 on Thursday night.

“I just saw it was the perfect time to catch it,” Jones said on his pick-six, which put 5A Bingham up 21-7 with 11:37 remaining in the third quarter. “I was open, so then I took it to the house.

“Coach just told us to keep it up, keep doing what we were doing. Just make sure that we were where we were supposed to be. We did it.”

Senior Kade Cloward added two interceptions for the Miners, only a day after attending the viewing for his grandfather — a diehard Bingham fan.


Coach just told us to keep it up, keep doing what we were doing. Just make sure that we were where we were supposed to be. We did it.

–Bingham cornerback Dominieke Jones


“He dedicated this game to his grandpa,” Bingham coach Dave Peck said of Cloward, whose team wore a memorial patch on their uniforms. “And that was neat to see him make some plays.”

The Miner secondary held Herriman quarterback Braydon Kener to 5-of-18, passing for 74 yards and three interceptions. The defense also dropped Herriman’s backfield four times in keeping the Mustangs off balance throughout the second half.

“I expect those guys this year to be making those plays,” Peck said. “I’m on record as saying it’s one of the best defensive back groups we’ve had since I’ve ever been coaching.”

The offense put in its work, too. After a scoreless first quarter for both teams, Gearig found BJ Taufalele for an 8-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring. Niua Mahe tied things up with about 90 seconds remaining in the half on a 1-yard touchdown plunge that followed his 56-yard downfield sprint.

As the Bingham defense held a second-half shutout, the offense was aided with a strong run game. Gearig scored on an 11-yard run on the team’s first offensive play of the half, and Aaron Marsh added a 9-yard touchdown run with 1:16 remaining to ice the game.

Cameron Smith led the ground game with 69 yards on 18 carries, and Marsh supplied 35 yards on six carries for Bingham. Gearig had 20 yards on 15 rushes on the ground, and also completed 8-of-17 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. Kicker Chayden Johnston added a 41-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for the Miners.

Bingham now preps for a road clash with one of the top teams in the nation in Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). But Peck said his team would be ready, pointing to the hard-working performance Thursday night as an example.

“I know this: Our kids are going to show up, they’re going to battle, they’re going to compete, and if it’s enough to win, then we’re going to give ourselves a chance,” Peck said. “But if Bishop Gorman is as good as everybody says, and they’re like a junior college team, then we’ll have our work cut out for us. But I promise, we will be ready and prepared. And everybody who travels down there is going to expect to win that game.”

Mahe finished with 78 yards and a score on six carries to pace Herriman (1-1), and Tomasi Tonga added three catches for 56 yards.

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