0 CommentsBingham was really never threatened in its 49-26 win over Alta in what must have been most-anticipated high school game in state history and Lone Peak surprised Mountain Crest 28-18. Both games were at Rice-Eccles Stadium and were considered the marquee games of the early preps season.
Some links in case you missed the edition of the Tribune that's made from trees...
Alta and Bingham
•Kurt Kragthorpe writes that it doesn't look like Bingham coach Dave Peck was exaggerating when he said Harvey Langi would be the best back to ever come out of Utah.
•My game story on the battle which, unlike most Alta/Bingham showdowns, was never all that close.
In addition to Langi, it was Bingham cracking down on defense that carried the Miners, Tony Jones writes.
Lone Peak and Mountain Crest
•Tony Jones says there were two great quarterbacks on the field Saturday,but Lone Peak's Hansen was the best.
•I recount the long summer Hansen had after transferring from American Fork and how his 246-yard rushing game helps him move past it.
Now that we're past the “biggest game ever” we can turn our attention forward to the rest of the season. But first, a few more notes on the big night up at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
•We've said it over and over, but this was expected to be Bingham's biggest challenge all season. That does not bode well for the teams in Region 3. Through two games Bingham has scored 100 points. This from a team that is most lauded for its defense. Earlier in the week, Alta coach Les Hamilton said the Miners looked dominant in every phase of its 51-0 win over Viewmont in Week 1. From where I was sitting, Bingham pulled off the feat in consecutive weeks.
If the Miners continue to average 50 points a game the rest of the season — you'd think it realistic, but consider who they did it against last night — then they should be able to not only solidify their national ranking, but build on it.
Enjoy it this year, Bingham fans. Rumblings out of West Jordan are that after this season, the talent level drops off. Not to a point that Bingham won't still be in the title hunt each year, but enough to return the Miners to earth, where other teams are hoping for parity.
•Alta quarterback Boston Handley may be overlooked by the great individual performances from the Bingham side, but he was truly brilliant at times for the Hawks. He threw three touchdown passes, including an absolute strike in the second quarter. It was the first of two to Mitch Casey and you could debate infinitely whether the pass or the catch was better.
Handley did throw a pair of picks late in the game, but chalk those up to trying to hurry his team down the field and make a miracle happen.
•Speaking of people who run things efficiently at Alta, I have got to give a quick shoutout to Canyons School District superintendent Dave Doty — or, should I say @canyonsdave? I was live-tweeting the game last night (follow me @oramb) and Mr. Doty was consistently retweeting and very tuned in to the game. “Time remaining? Let's go Hawks!” he once tweeted at me.
Looking back through Doty's tweets, I'm pretty sure he was following along while attending a performance of “The Lion King,” which speaks highly of his dedication to one of his teams, yes, but also of his taste in musicals.
Friday night, Doty was tweeting from Rio Tinto as Murray and Hillcrest (a Canyons school) were playing in the first ever high school football game there.
Maybe there are more superintendents turning to new media and social networking, but I just think it's a very cool way to put a face on a school district. Kudos to Doty for tweeting, but more so for being so passionate.
•Finally, perhaps the most positive thing that can be taken from last night. All four teams joined in to turn it into a fundraiser for Swing for Life, the SLC-based breast cancer advocacy group. Pink jerseys of all the teams were sold, and players wore pink tape. Coaches Dave Peck of Bingham and Alta's Les Hamilton led their staffs by wearing pink polo shirts.
Swing for Life founder Kathy Howa said through the third quarter her group had raised $7,000 over the course of the evening. She said she was deeply touched by the outpouring of support from the teams and also the fans.
"Even when I went to bed last night I started getting tears in my eyes," she said.
— Bill Oram
Bill Oram writes about all aspects of high school sports for the Tribune. He finally made varsity when he was given his very own blog.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogs/preps/50184363-52/bingham-game-alta-teams.html.csp
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