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South Jordan • When Bingham and Herriman got together for a Thursday night football tussle, it was pretty clear that both squads preferred a smash-mouth, physical approach to the game.

And the Miners and Mustangs got just what they wanted in the first half.

At the start of the second though, one Herriman turnover quickly led to a Bingham score. The Mustangs responded by taking to the air game, and then came turnover number two.

And that, in what had been previously marked by hard-earned yardage to get on the board, was pretty much the ball game.

Bingham (2-0) rolls into a showdown next week with Bishop Gorman (Nev.) with a 31-7 victory over Herriman.

"You can't turn the ball over in big games," said Mustangs coach Dustin Pearce, whose team opened the season last week with a 30-0 shutout of West Jordan.

"I thought we had the momentum," Pearce said. "Then we came out and made two huge mistakes. It cost us."

The host Miners got on the board first by concluding a grinding 13-play 60-yard drive with a touchdown pass from Kyle Gearig to Zach Burge. That drive, which spanned the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter also included the initial first down of the contest by either squad.

But Herriman (1-1) went on an even bigger drive before halftime, churning up 74 yards largely thanks to a 58-yard run by senior Niua Mahe. With 1:31 left before half, Mahe found the end zone on a fourth-and-goal from the one to tie the game.

When the teams lined up for the second half, that's where it fell apart for the Mustangs.

Herriman's first offensive play from scrimmage resulted in a fumble and the ball was recovered by Bingham's Daniel Langi. On the next play, Gearig cut upfield for an 11-yard run and a 14-0 lead.

When the Mustangs got the ball back, three passes were attempted in four plays — as many pass plays as Herriman had tried in the entire first half.

On the third, Bingham senior Dominieke Jones stepped in front of Brayden Kener's throw and concluded a pick-six with a 38-yard run.

"I saw the running back come into the flat, so I jumped it," Jones said. "We're always talking about getting defensive touchdowns and that really put the momentum our way."

Next week, Bingham will voyage to Las Vegas to play highly-regarded Bishop Gorman. —

Storylines

O Only five penalties are called in the entire contest, amounting to a total of 60 yards in yardage.

• A 48-yard fourth-quarter field goal by Bingham's Chayden Johnston is also set up by a turnover, when Herriman misplays Johnston's earlier punt. —

Friday's football schedule

• Summit Academy at Rich, 4 p.m.

• Uintah at Layton Christian, 4 p.m.

• Alta at Lone Peak, 7 p.m.

• American Fork at Logan, 7 p.m.

• Bear River at Mountain Crest, 7 p.m.

• Beaver at Kanab, 7 p.m.

• Bonneville at Clearfield, 7 p.m.

• Bountiful at Viewmont, 7 p.m.

• Canyon View at Cedar, 7 p.m.

• Carbon at ALA, 7 p.m.

Corner Canyon at Springville, 7 p.m.

• Cottonwood at Snow Canyon, 7 p.m.

• Davis at Hunter, 7 p.m.

• Dixie at Lehi, 7 p.m.

• Enterprise at Milford, 7 p.m.

• Fremont at Brighton, 7 p.m.

• Granger at Kearns, 7 p.m.

• Hillcrest at Cyprus, 7 p.m.

• Jordan at East, 7 p.m.

• Juab at Ben Lomond, 7 p.m.

• Judge at Woods Cross, 7 p.m.

• Layton at Box Elder, 7 p.m.

• Manti at Provo, 7 p.m.

• Millard at Delta, 7 p.m.

• North Sevier at Gunnison, 7 p.m.

• North Summit at Duchesne, 7 p.m.

• Olympus at Northridge, 7 p.m.

• Parowan at Diamond Ranch, 7 p.m.

• Payson at Salem Hills, 7 p.m.

P• iedra Vista (N.M.) at San Juan, 7 p.m.

• Pleasant Grove at Torrey Pines (Calif.), 7 p.m.

• Preston (Idaho) at Park City, 7 p.m.

• Richfield at South Sevier, 7 p.m.

• Roy at Weber, 7 p.m.

• Sky View at Maple Mountain, 7 p.m.

• Skyline at Juan Diego, 7 p.m.

• South Summit at Morgan, 7 p.m.

• Stansbury at Hurricane, 7 p.m.

• Syracuse at Highland, 7 p.m.

• Taylorsville at Murray, 7 p.m.

• Timpanogos at Spanish Fork, 7 p.m.

• Tooele at Grantsville, 7 p.m.

• Union at North Sanpete, 7 p.m.

• Viewmont at Brighton, 7 p.m.

• Wasatch at Mountain View, 7 p.m.

• West at Copper Hills, 7 p.m.

• West Jordan at Riverton, 7 p.m.

• Westlake at Ogden, 7 p.m.

• Whitehorse at Monticello, 7 p.m.

• Desert Hills at Foothill (Nev.), 8 p.m.

• Pine View at Agassi Prep (Nev.), 8 p.m.