Undefeated Miners march over Cougars

Quarterback Cantwell, running back Langi lead Bingham in rout.

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South Jordan • If the loss of a suspended star bothered top-ranked Bingham on Friday night, it didn't show.

Senior quarterback Stefan Cantwell threw two touchdown passes and running back Harvey Langi rushed for 167 yards and two more scores as the Miners routed Kearns, 52-7.

Bingham played without senior nose guard Viliseni "Seni" Fauonuku, who began a two-game suspension in the Region 3 battle with the Cougars.

The Miner defense didn't miss Fauonuku, however, as Ty Ogden and Dylan Cannon returned two interceptions for second-half touchdowns.

Bingham, which led only 7-0 late in the second quarter, improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the region.

"We were a little stagnant in the first half," said Miner coach Dave Peck. "We didn't seem to have the energy level we usually have. But we went in and challenged the kids to step up a little bit, and they played a great second half. Just great."

Referring to the loss of Fauonuku, Peck said, "It was a really tough day. We end up sitting Seni for the next two games. … But you know what? Other kids stepped up. We have a great group of kids."

Bingham opened the scoring with a time-consuming 80-yard, 14-play drive on its first possession.

The Miners converted a pair of third downs and one fourth down before Langi burst up the middle from the Kearns 12.

Late in the second quarter, Kearns, coming off a 44-0 win over Taylorsville, drove to the Miners' 27-yard line. But from there, three plays failed to gain a yard, and Brock Whetman missed a 44-yard field goal.

Bingham took over with two minutes left in the half and struck quickly.

On second-and-10 from its own 44, Cantwell threw a receiver screen to Brady Measom, who avoided one tackler and raced 56 yards for a touchdown.

At halftime, Langi had gained only 45 yards on 10 carries, but the Miners still managed a hard-earned 14-0 lead.

Bingham received the second-half kickoff and marched to the Kearns 9, where the Cougars held and Kyle Duke salvaged the drive with a 26-yard field goal.

luhm@sltrib.com