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South Jordan • Jay Tufele planted his knee onto a walker and glided across the field with his foot conspicuously sealed into a protective boot. Dressed in street clothes, the top-ranked local prospect for the Class of 2017 was confined to the role of a 6-foot-3, 285-pound cheerleader.
Very few high school programs are capable of withstanding the loss of their best player, especially the reigning state Player of the Year, but Bingham is one of those teams.
During the Miners' marquee matchup against Herriman on Friday, Tufele instructed his eventual successor, sophomore Simote Pepa — a muscular meatball with fingers the size of kielbasa — to use his power to clog the running lanes.
Pepa answered the bell and demonstrated, at 6-2, 290, why he's already earned the nickname "Baby Jay." But he wasn't the only nuke blowing up Herriman's offensive line.
Senior four-star Oregon commit Langi Tuifua, senior Ben Malohi and junior Amanaki Angilau joined Pepa and resembled a school of piranhas swarming every ballcarrier in Bingham's 45-0 win against the fourth-ranked Mustangs.
When Tufele returns to competition, Bingham's line will advertise five Division I prospects, including two four-star recruits — which raises the question: Is this the best defensive front in the nation?
"Yeah, we are," Pepa said without hesitation.
Bingham coach John Lambourne wasn't as quick to anoint the group, but said, "I just know for us, they're pretty darn good."
Royal flush
Defensive line coach Wes Gross, who played for the Green Bay Packers in the 1980s, has helped mold elite talent in the trenches at Bingham, including Star and Lowell Lotulelei, Seni Fauonuku, Moses Kaumatule and Baker Pritchard.
And even he admits being dealt a royal flush this season.
"This line would be one of the best," said Gross, who compared this group to those who played in 2010, which many consider to be the best team in state history.
The players praise the coaching staff for their development, and, obviously, each was gifted natural-born talent, but the real secret to their success is infused in work ethic.
As five sons of Polynesian immigrants, with Tufele being the lone Samoan among Tongans, the players have witnessed their parents strive to provide a better life for their families.
"My dad sacrificed a lot. It's hard to come from a foreign country into a different culture," said Tuifua, whose father is employed by the railroad and whose mother handles two jobs. "My mom works really, really hard. Whenever she's home, she's working. They motivate me not to fail."
Growing up in a military environment — his mother in the Army and father in the Air Force — Malohi has been assiduous his entire life. Moving from Germany to Japan to Georgia and finally to Utah was taxing, but he continued to grind. He missed the entire season last year after dislocating his hip when he fell 15 feet while fixing the garage roof, but he never forgot the importance of moving forward throughout extensive physical therapy.
"My dad is the biggest person on that," Malohi said. "He's always showing me hard work matters, and if I'm not studying or going to the gym on my own time, he's yelling at me because I'm being lazy."
Pepa's father works two jobs so his wife can take care of their five children at home. "He's worked all his life," Pepa said in admiration. "I want to try to be just like him." And Angilau is also one of five children whose parents work for Xfinity and Intermountain Care. "[They've] taught me how to work hard and keep going."
Tufele admits he "wasn't the richest kid growing up, but I've always had fun with what I've had." He learned discipline from rationing meals and has seen the power of dedication from his sister, who provides for his family while his mother tends his father, who has a heart condition.
"We're surviving from my siblings," said Tufele, whose voice cracked with emotion. "They're what motivates me to work hard every day. That's the reason I'm at where I am now, because of my family."
Paying the price
After falling short in the state semifinals last season, Lambourne admits his program is "playing with pain." The Miners are judged on championships alone, and the journey to return to glory begins with the leaders up front.
"It's pretty cool having all of us Polynesian guys on the line. We have a whole entire brown defense," quipped Pepa.
The advantage of applying pressure from the interior is hard to quantify. It changes the entire complexity of the game. Stressing quarterbacks creates turnovers and mistakes, while hounding the line of scrimmage and limiting opponents to short runs — two goals Bingham accomplished against Herriman — is a proven recipe for success.
"I don't think anyone can [match] us," Tufele said. "We take nothing for granted. Everything we have, we work for."
There are few opportunities to showcase performance in football. Tufele, Tuifua and Malohi will all suit up in college next season. Angilau and Pepa aren't far behind. So with their time together dwindling, the five are determined to bring another title to Big Blue.
"It will be hard to let those guys go," Lambourne said. "These are kids that have paid the price. I hope they get a great reward."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs