By Bill Oram
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated Aug 28, 2010 12:52AM
Alta running back Taylor Eyring hasn’t seen film of a single play from rival Bingham’s 44-0 Week 1 plundering of Viewmont.
His coaches have the film and have watched it, but to prepare for today’s long-awaited showdown at Rice-Eccles Stadium, players have focused on footage from last year’s losses: 38-34 in the preseason, 28-19 in the playoffs. Why observe what the Miners did to someone else when the Hawks remember perfectly well what they did to them?
“I’m pretty sure our coaches have watched it and it’s the same,” Eyring said.
Definitely the same, coach Les Hamilton said.
“They were just dominant in every phase,” he said.
Bingham players, however, have pored over Alta’s opening game, a stunning loss in which it gave up back-to-back defensive touchdowns to Cottonwood within a 28 second span to lose 28-21.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Bingham tight end Sean Larson said of Alta’s collapse. “It sucks. Things happen like that, though, and if they would have gotten a big enough lead like they could have, it wouldn’t have happened like that.”
Some Bingham players wish Alta had beaten Cottonwood almost as badly as do the Alta players. This game today is Alta and it is Bingham. The teams have each won two of the last four Class 5A state championships, and one team has ended the other’s season in each of the past four state tournaments.
The Alta and Bingham bully boys will take the field as the second half of a doubleheader. Mountain Crest and the reigning 4A Tribune Player of the Year Alex Kuresa will play Lone Peak at 5 p.m. Alta and Bingham kick off at 8 p.m.
Part of the mystique and intrigue of the matchup was based on the assumption that both teams would be undefeated going into the game.
“It would be nice if we were both undefeated going into it,” Hamilton said. His counterpart, Bingham coach Dave Peck, acknowledged, “I think it’s probably lost a little bit of luster with them losing.”
This year, however, the meaning of the rivalry game runs deeper than just the rivalry. Bingham is ranked No. 1 in the country by MaxPreps.com. Alta is the closest thing to a big-time national game on Bingham’s schedule, despite the Hawks’ opening week defeat. And this season, Bingham coach Dave Peck doesn’t want to play “one week at a time” or take his lumps early and be stronger for the playoffs.
Not this year.
He wants to hold on to the national credentials his team has earned as defending state champions and by having 13 Division 1 players.
“If we don’t totally take care of business here in the state of Utah, you’re going to see us drop in polls,” Peck said. “If we’re not doing it big-time impressive-wise, I think we’ll be in trouble in the polls.”
That means more 44-0 wins, like the one over Viewmont. But Bingham has never wanted to just beat Alta. A rivalry game win is made sweeter when it’s emphatic.
Larson said his team is definitely looking for that kind of win over the Hawks.
“Our coaches, they hate ’em,” he said. “They’re on us all practice long. If we make a mistake we get yelled at way more than we normally would.”
Anybody want to argue that this game has lost significance because Alta has a loss and no wins, instead of the other way around?
Peck said the Hawks could just as easily be on the winning side of that pivot.
“Alta definitely controlled the ball, controlled the clock, they did everything they had to do to win the game,” he said.
The Hawks know that, and Peck said it could even inspire them to play better against his Miners.
“It was very horrible,” Eyring said, “but we just have to worry about Bingham.”
But at least he won’t have to wait any longer.
By Bill Oram
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated Aug 28, 2010 12:52AM
Alta running back Taylor Eyring hasn’t seen film of a single play from rival Bingham’s 44-0 Week 1 plundering of Viewmont.
His coaches have the film and have watched it, but to prepare for today’s long-awaited showdown at Rice-Eccles Stadium, players have focused on footage from last year’s losses: 38-34 in the preseason, 28-19 in the playoffs. Why observe what the Miners did to someone else when the Hawks remember perfectly well what they did to them?
“I’m pretty sure our coaches have watched it and it’s the same,” Eyring said.
Definitely the same, coach Les Hamilton said.
“They were just dominant in every phase,” he said.
Bingham players, however, have pored over Alta’s opening game, a stunning loss in which it gave up back-to-back defensive touchdowns to Cottonwood within a 28 second span to lose 28-21.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Bingham tight end Sean Larson said of Alta’s collapse. “It sucks. Things happen like that, though, and if they would have gotten a big enough lead like they could have, it wouldn’t have happened like that.”
Some Bingham players wish Alta had beaten Cottonwood almost as badly as do the Alta players. This game today is Alta and it is Bingham. The teams have each won two of the last four Class 5A state championships, and one team has ended the other’s season in each of the past four state tournaments.
The Alta and Bingham bully boys will take the field as the second half of a doubleheader. Mountain Crest and the reigning 4A Tribune Player of the Year Alex Kuresa will play Lone Peak at 5 p.m. Alta and Bingham kick off at 8 p.m.
Part of the mystique and intrigue of the matchup was based on the assumption that both teams would be undefeated going into the game.
“It would be nice if we were both undefeated going into it,” Hamilton said. His counterpart, Bingham coach Dave Peck, acknowledged, “I think it’s probably lost a little bit of luster with them losing.”
This year, however, the meaning of the rivalry game runs deeper than just the rivalry. Bingham is ranked No. 1 in the country by MaxPreps.com. Alta is the closest thing to a big-time national game on Bingham’s schedule, despite the Hawks’ opening week defeat. And this season, Bingham coach Dave Peck doesn’t want to play “one week at a time” or take his lumps early and be stronger for the playoffs.
Not this year.
He wants to hold on to the national credentials his team has earned as defending state champions and by having 13 Division 1 players.
“If we don’t totally take care of business here in the state of Utah, you’re going to see us drop in polls,” Peck said. “If we’re not doing it big-time impressive-wise, I think we’ll be in trouble in the polls.”
That means more 44-0 wins, like the one over Viewmont. But Bingham has never wanted to just beat Alta. A rivalry game win is made sweeter when it’s emphatic.
Larson said his team is definitely looking for that kind of win over the Hawks.
“Our coaches, they hate ’em,” he said. “They’re on us all practice long. If we make a mistake we get yelled at way more than we normally would.”
Anybody want to argue that this game has lost significance because Alta has a loss and no wins, instead of the other way around?
Peck said the Hawks could just as easily be on the winning side of that pivot.
“Alta definitely controlled the ball, controlled the clock, they did everything they had to do to win the game,” he said.
The Hawks know that, and Peck said it could even inspire them to play better against his Miners.
“It was very horrible,” Eyring said, “but we just have to worry about Bingham.”
But at least he won’t have to wait any longer.
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