by Daniel Olsen | A matchup with a top defense like Westlake was expected to be a much closer contest than the final score indicated.
While the Thunder held the Miners in check in the second half, it wasn’t enough to catch up. The Miners can now drive back from Saratoga Springs with a smile on their faces. They won with a final score of 24-3.
The game was especially entertaining with Jacob Hatch calling the game on the Deseret News Rewind live stream. The game was exciting early but turned south in a hurry. Penalties did in the Thunder so many times and it kept their talented defense on the field for a majority of the time. This eventually seemed to tire them out and Bingham quickly was leading 17-0.
Mason Bangerter had the lone make of the first half. He connected on a 37 yard field goal right before the end of the first half. This brought the score within two touchdowns.
Bingham was a little more sloppy the second half but got some breaks. The WestLake defense would often push them to third down situations but they ultimately converted on several third down situations. They ultimately put the game away with a 17 yard touchdown run by RB Cael Wightman.
Westlake had chances but they struggled to convert on those chances. They put themselves in third and long and even had to convert on fourth and long to make the drive right before the first half. Their offense will need to convert especially in their tough region at the 6A level.
Had the offense converted a touchdown instead of a field goal at the end of the first half, the game might have been different. It’s all about momentum and the Miners executed in a way that quelled any ounce of momentum the Thunder would start to attain.
The game ball tonight has to go to the Bingham defense. Although Westlake doesn’t put up 50 points a game, three points is much lower than the 22.25 points per game the Thunder has averaged this season.
One player that really stood out was Isaiah Glasker, who made the momentum play of the game to go up 17-0 with an interception return for a touchdown that really made things get out of hand for the hosts. With their first touchdown coming two minutes prior, that little stretch in the second quarter told the story of the game. In football there isn’t a lot of room for error.
This was especially true tonight for the Thunder as they knew they would have to execute to nearly perfection against a big and more athletic Miners squad. While they didn’t execute that plan, they likely learned some valuable lessons that will prepare them for region play.
This game was way more exciting than the final score would indicate and a great battle between both teams.
Next week Westlake plays Lone Peak while Bingham hosts Herriman.
Featured image via Bingham High Miners.