‘New’ Bingham football coach off to interesting start in second stint
Sep 30, 2020 03:57PM ● By Josh Mc Fadden
With Dave Peck back at the helm, Bingham’s football team got off to a 4-2 start. (Photo by Pat McDonald)
By Josh McFadden | [email protected]
When football coach John Lambourne announced his retirement last November, Bingham High School administrators didn’t have to look far to find his replacement.
Lambourne’s predecessor, Dave Peck, returned to duty a month later and is back on the sidelines at the program he built into a state and regional powerhouse.
Peck previously led the Miners from 2000 to 2014, taking over a team that hadn’t tasted a state title in six decades to becoming arguably the most successful, consistent team in Utah. Under Peck’s tutelage, Bingham captured state crowns in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014. The program had multiple undefeated seasons and put numerous players on the rosters of Division I college programs. The Miners also routinely challenged out-of-state foes and made their way into national rankings.
Peck’s second tour has had its ups and downs. He couldn’t have picked a time under stranger circumstances, as the coronavirus shut down businesses, services, sports and life in general for much of the spring and early summer. While most Utah high school teams kicked off the season on Aug. 14, the Miners had to wait a week because of COVID-19 concerns.
Peck’s first two games were unlike most that he coached during his first stint at Bingham.
The Miners were routed on Aug. 21 by Skyridge, 35-7, and the following week by defending state champion Corner Canyon, 42-20. Bingham righted the ship the next two games, however, bouncing back in wins over Timpview and Westlake.
Against Timpview on Sept. 3, Bingham used a 24-0 first half to overpower the Thunderbirds. However, it took a late touchdown from Sala Lomu in a 16-yard run to pull away. Timpview had cut the margin to 24-21 before the TD with a minute left. Lomu had 151 on the evening, while quarterback Troy Mehn added 88 yards on the ground. Semisis Vi had 61 yards of his own as Bingham tallied 313 yards on the ground. It was a typical Dave Peck-style attack.
On Sept. 11, the Miners evened their record at 2-2, cruising past Westlake 24-3 in a strong defensive effort. The Miners allowed just a second-quarter field goal and stuff Westlake’s ground game to -6 yards. Meanwhile, Lomu had 118 yards of Bingham’s 355 on the ground.
Through four games, Lomu had already tallied 456 yards rushing, while Vi had amassed 213. Isaiah Glasker is Mehn’s favorite target. The senior wide receiver had 13 catches for 199 yards in the first four games. Receiver Parker Gurr has been a big-play target, as he has hauled in 111 yards worth of receptions on five catches.
Defensively, the first four games proved to be prolific for Vilianmi Po’uha. The senior bound for the University of Utah had 4.5 sacks during this span. The Miners registered four interceptions in the first four outings.
Bingham wraps up the regular season at home against Riverton on Oct. 2, on the road against Jordan on Oct. 9 and a home finale against Copper Hills on Oct. 14.
