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South Jordan • Great at making tackles, Daniel Loua was a contributor for the Bingham Miners' defense fairly quickly after arriving at the school last year.

Soon, he was returning kicks as well, and thanks to the skills he showed whenever he had the ball in his hands, Loua then merited a look at running back.

Now, the senior is now part of the regular rotation in the offensive backfield, too. And if the season lasted any longer, Loua might end up being in the Bingham lineup 100 percent of the time.

Even if it's only 70 to 75 percent right now, that's still pretty impressive considering that the Miners are a Class 5A school — and the top-ranked one at that — and platooning isn't common in the largest classification.

"Daniel came to us and played defensive back last year, but we saw something in his elusiveness and the things he could do with the ball," said Bingham coach John Lambourne.

"Early on we didn't use him much [offensively], but he's shown that in his kick returns and now he's starting to run the ball from scrimmage for us quite a bit," Lambourne added. "He just makes plays — he's a kid that makes plays."

Loua has rushed for over 300 yards for the Miners. On the other side of the ball, Loua is a safety that sometimes moves up into the linebacker area and does more than his fair share of putting a stop to opposing offenses.

Heading into the Class 5A championship game against Lone Peak on Friday, Loua leads Bingham in tackles.

"I like playing safety, because I like playing aggressive — coming down and making plays, just having fun with my defense," Loua said. "It's rowdy on that side of the ball."

Loua also doesn't seem overly concerned about running out of gas by game's end.

"We have three or four running backs, so that gives me a break on the offense," Loua said. "That gives me the air that I need."

From the perspective he's gained from playing both sides of the ball, the Miners senior believes that Bingham is putting everything together at the right time of the year.

"When the offense doesn't do so great, the defense picks them up. When the defense doesn't do so great, our offense picks them up," said Loua, who felt that Bingham's 35-12 win over Fremont in the semifinals was one case where neither side needed much lifting.

"You could say that last week was a taste of that, so I think we're starting to click," he said.

As for the future, it's unknown where Loua will ply his skills after high school, although Lambourne feels Loua has a chance to be a solid contributor collegiately.

"He's a hard-working kid. I'm proud of him, I really am," Lambourne said. "You just look at what he actually produces, he's as good as anyone in the state." —

About Daniel Loua

• Primarily a safety who also plays a hybrid linebacker role, he has led Bingham in tackles this season.

• Also sees time with the offense and on special teams as a running back and kick returner.

• Played two seasons at Jordan High before his family moved into Bingham's boundaries last year.

Bingham vs. Lone Peak

P Class 5A Championship, at Rice-Eccles Stadium

• Friday, 2:30 a.m.