This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
West Valley City • The Bingham Miners found ways to keep the blood flowing in what was a crisp evening in the twilight of the summer season.
They rallied to the ball. They forced turnovers. They scored touchdowns.
Their Thursday night road game against the struggling Granger Lancers quickly turned into a test for the No. 1-ranked Class 5A team in the state and how they'd handle a monstrous first-half lead.
"We know that if we play our A-game," Bingham linebacker Vaka Vehikite said, "it shows it on the scoreboard."
The scoreboard showed a 42-0 victory for the Miners over the Lancers.
Bingham scored six touchdowns in the first half, all they'd need to maintain an unblemished record.
Starting junior quarterback Kyle Gearig threw for three scores before halftime. He wasn't needed to close out the first half because the Miners were in full control. Backups Kade Jensen and Jordan Evans closed out the first half.
"It was nice to get up by a lot, get that running clock going and get a little rest," Gearig said.
Senior running back Scott Nichols exposed the Granger defense on the first play from scrimmage, when he took a toss sweep from Gearig, waited for timely blockers and sprinted down the west-side sideline untouched for a 66-yard touchdown.
Nichols added two more touchdowns in the first half — a 1-yard walk in and a 45-yard pass from Gearig, who found the Bingham running back on a slant for a 45-yard touchdown. Gearig threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to junior running back Aaron Marsh later in the second quarter, which was followed by a 30-yard score to junior tight end Zach Burge.
It was all the Miners needed.
The starters were left to stand on the sidelines as their backups finished their 5-0 start.
"We want to play our best game, whether that's for a quarter, a half, three quarters or whatever," Bingham coach Dave Peck said. "It doesn't matter what records are or anything like that. For us, to get prepared to go for a region title, we couldn't have this be an off night. I was happy with the way we came out."
ckamrani@sltrib.comTwitter: @chriskamrani —
Storylines Bingham 42, Granger 0
R Bingham senior Scott Nichols rushed for two scores and catches a TD pass to lead the offense.
• The Miners improve to 5-0 this season.