Bingham barrels past East to repeat as state champions

Bingham wide receiver Dax Milne dived toward the sideline and picked off the short East pass.

Milne threw both arms up while laying on his back, and a sea of blue jerseys burst from the sideline and engulfed him.

“The best part was looking up and seeing all my teammates just right there and celebrating,” he said.

Only one thought occupied his mind as his view of the sky was blocked out by his teammates’ faces: We did it.

Bingham successfully defended its title with a 27-14 win over East in the Class 6A state championship game Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The program hit the 500-win mark with the victory. The Miners have claimed state titles in four of the past five seasons.

Bingham coach John Lambourne said it absolutely hasn’t gotten old yet.

“There’s kids there,” he said, pointing at the mass of Bingham players hoisting the championship trophy over their heads, “that it’s not old for them, so it’s not going to going to be old for me.”

In classic Bingham fashion, the Miners took their time building a lead. Then running back Braedon Wissler broke through.

The 5-foot-7 junior dived into the end zone, rolled, popped up and did a 360 on one foot. He pumped the ball in his hand in celebration. The 5-yard carry gave the Miners a 14-7 lead going into the half.

“I think it’s a big momentum-builder in the second half,” quarterback Ryan Wood said of gaining a lead before the intermission, “showing that we can still dominate them.”

That 12-second, 35-yard drive at the end of the first half made East pay for squandering an interception by former Miner Jaylon Vickers.

Vickers pulled down a pass intended for Brayden Cosper and held onto the ball despite Cosper’s attempts to strip it from him. East started on its own 15-yard line, but the Leopards were forced to punt after an incomplete pass and penalty combo. Wissler was spinning in the end zone two plays later.

That was his second touchdown. He set up the first with a 74-yard kickoff return that put the ball in the Bingham offense’s hands on the East 25-yard line. Wissler scored with an 8-yard run on the third play of the ensuing drive.

“The turnaround play was his kickoff return that got us back down here and we got a score,” Lambourne said. “Without that, a lot of things could have gone a different direction.”

Once Wissler’s two touchdowns gave the Miners the lead going into the second half, Bingham almost couldn’t help piling onto its lead, despite losing Wissler to an ankle injury.

It even got scoring help from its defense. Miners linebacker Malachi Fotu forced a fumble, and Lolani Langi scooped it up untouched and ran free for 47 yards to score a touchdown halfway through the third quarter.

“It’s indescribable,” Wood said about winning the title as he held back tears. “It’s amazing.”