In a high-scoring thriller, the Bingham Miners were able to get just enough breathing room in the fourth quarter to pull out an entertaining 47-38 victory over the Herriman Mustangs on Friday.
“I can’t say enough about the performance of our offense,” said Bingham head coach Eric Jones.
“We are down to basically our third string quarterback. We are so banged up and our kids could have made so many excuses for why they couldn’t have come out and played this game and won but they didn’t. That was probably our offense’s best performance of the year.”
The first half was filled with plenty of offensive fireworks, with Herriman’s Frederick Ta’ai showcasing his versatility by tallying two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, while Carson Sudbury powered the Miners with two touchdown runs, and special teams came up big for Bingham as well.
The game got off to a quick start as Herriman struck first, with a 27-yard touchdown reception by running back Semisi Fifita from Ta’ai, giving the Mustangs an early 7-0 lead.
However, Bingham wasted no time responding on its very next offensive possession with an 80-yard bomb from Carson Sudbury l to wideout Carson Stettler, narrowing the gap to 7-6.
Ta’ai extended Herriman’s lead by keeping the ball and scoring on a 1-yard rushing touchdown, but on the ensuing kickoff, Bingham’s Chase Swensen quickly shifted the momentum with an explosive 90-yard kickoff return for a
touchdown, making it a 14-12 deficit for the Miners.
Bingham continued to pile on the pressure in the second quarter, with Sudbury punching in a 3-yard run to put the Miners ahead for the first time at 19-14.
But Ta’ai continued his hot start to the game, this time connecting with Kaden Hansen for a 5-yard touchdown pass.
However, Sudbury struck again, this time with a 3-yard rushing touchdown, and Imaj Hagan added a 30-yard field goal as the second quarter ended, with Bingham taking a 26-24 lead into the break.
Despite playing from behind for a big chunk of the game, Herriman showed its resilience and fight by playing to the last whistle. Ta’ai scored on a 4-yard run in the closing minutes of the third quarter, bringing the Mustangs within two points.
However, Brimhall gave the visitors an important 9-point lead with a 10-yard rushing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, sealing the 47-38 victory.
In the end while Bingham’s offensive was certainly on full display, Jones knows there is plenty to work on.
“Anytime defenses give up that many points, you have to give credit to the other offense,” he said. “Their quarterback is a special player. I thought their offensive coordinator did an excellent job by putting us in lose-lose situations.
“That was a classic back-and-forth battle and one of those games where whoever had the ball last was probably going to win because neither defense was able to stop the other.”