Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Bingham Miners are favored to win the 2013 5A state championship this season, according to the first preseason KSL Coaches Poll.
They open the season on national television when they host Bonneville, Idaho on an ESPN network Saturday, Aug. 24.
While the Miners must replace several talented players who have moved on to play college football, they return several starters, including tight end Dalton Schultz, ranked by Scout.com as the No. 1 tight end in the country. Running back Scott Nichols returns and will run behind an experienced offensive line, which includes returning starters Riley Culley and Aaron Amaama.
Sky Manu is a three-year starter at safety and will lead a talented group on defense.
Winning a region title, let alone a state championship, will be difficult for Bingham. They play in Region 3, which includes the top three ranked teams in 5A.
No. 2 Alta returns quarterback Chipper Lucero, who passed for 3500 yards and 40 touchdowns last season, with lineman Baron Bruce up front providing protection. Experienced receivers Mack Richards and Logan Harrison also return giving the Hawks one of the top passing games in the state. Their depth will be tested after Corner Canyon pulled away dozens of underclassmen from the program, but the returning talent should be enough to overcome the loss.
Region 3 looks like the SEC of Utah high school football and its possible that the region title could be decided in the final week of the regular season in the latest black and blue rivalry classic.
Bingham at Jordan: Friday, Oct. 11Every game in this region will be big but before the big rivalry game between Bingham and Alta the Beetdiggers will have a chance to spoil the party and prove they are the favorites to repeat as 5A champions.
Pleasant Grove at Lone Peak: Friday, Oct. 4The Knights are favored to win Region 4 but they can't sleep on their rivals who will be looking to establish themselves as contenders in Les Hamilton's second year as head coach.
Davis at Syracuse Thursday, Sept. 12A Region 1 team has reached the state championship game in five of the last six seasons. Considering the talent in the region this year that is a strong possibility once again. The winner of this early season contest will have the inside track on the region title.
Hunter at Granger: Friday, Oct. 25These two rivals will try to earn respect for Region 2 throughout the season before they settle their differences on the field in what could be a region title matchup.
No. 3 Jordan returns Mr. Football Austin Kafentzis and All-State running back Clay Moss, but must replace all five starters on the offensive line, which was one of the best in state history. The defense should be even better than last year with Colton and Christian Shaver leading the way, along with defensive back Cooper Clark, who is one of the best underclassmen in the state.
Syracuse reached the state championship game in 2012 and expectations are high once again. BYU commit Kavika Fonua leads what might be the top defense in the state. He will have help from defensive tackle Kaden Craig and linebacker Wyatt German. Junior quarterback Kole Tracy received invaluable experience replacing an injured Brock Anderson in last year's playoffs. Now he will be relied upon to lead the Titan offense from day one.
Lone Peak will be led by a new coach this season. Mike Mower takes over a program that is loaded with talent once again. Quarterback Baron Gajkowski ran and passed for a combined 3,359 yards of offense and 32 touchdowns in 2012. The defense will be led by defensive lineman Austin Kruger and cornerback Matt Criddle.
Davis, Riverton, Brighton and Pleasant Grove all received votes and are expected to challenge the top five teams for 5A supremacy.
5 players to watch:
Dalton Schultz, Bingham
He is the top rated tight end in the country by scout.com and is No. 153 in the ESPN 300. He has offers from some of the top programs in the country, including Notre Dame, Wisconsin, USC and Stanford, in addition to the in-state schools.
Austin Kafentzis, Jordan
The Wisconsin commit is well on his way to rewriting the Utah record books at the quarterback position. He found the end zone 54 times on the ground and through the air, and racked up 4,549 yards of total offense. He was named Mr. Football as a sophomore and hopes to lead the Beetdiggers to back-to-back state titles.
Kavika Fonua, Syracuse
The Titans pride themselves on defense and Fonua will lead the way once again this fall. The BYU commit runs a sub-4.5 40 and is the highest rated defensive back in the state.
Osa Masina, Brighton
Masina is Utah's highest-rated prospect in the 2015 class and is being pursued by several big name schools including Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Michigan. He rushed for 796 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore and played multiple positions on both sides of the ball.
Jackson Barton, Brighton
Barton is a four star offensive tackle prospect committed to the University of Utah and is the highest rated offensive lineman in the state.
