A defining 4-2 victory at Olympus in the season opener sent a message to the entire state that Bingham was nobody to mess with, and then the Miners blanked Mountain Ridge in the region opener the next game. 

Then that “new coach bump” wore off, and the Miners lost 3-2 at Salt Lake Academy, followed by a 4-3 shootout loss in two overtimes to Wasatch. 

That’s how most of the regular season went for Bingham, a literal roller coaster, and yet the Miners made a magical four-game run in the playoffs to the 6A state championship game, falling just short of immortality by a 1-0 final score at Zions Bank Stadium. 

The most amazing part of it all? The Miners had three boys named to All-State teams. 

Senior Ryan Kim wrapped up his last year at Bingham, leading a defense that allowed just 21 goals in 18 games. He played a big role under the previous head coach Leo Gonzalez and continued that under the new coach Pierson, which led to Kim being named to the All-State First Team. 

Critical to the Miners success was the play from goalkeeper Riley Whicker. A four-year starter at Bingham, Whicker was also responsible for the Miners’ run—not only to the state championship game this year but the state semis the year before. He was also named to the All-State First Team and is headed to Weber State, where he is expected to compete for the starting punter job on their football team. 

The other main piece to the Miners’ stout defense? Team captain Briggs Smith. The senior was also prolific under the former coach Gonzalez, and he formed another big piece of Bingham’s defense that allowed a Region 2 best 21 goals overall, and 18 in league play. Smith was selected to the All-State Second Team for his contributions to the Miners. 

Lacrosse

It was a difficult year for the Bingham boys lacrosse squad, as they exited the state playoffs in the second round this year and limped to an 8-11 record. 

There were some bright spots, however. 

Senior Josh Philbrick was named to the All-State Second Team. The strong-side defensive midfielder forced 35 ground balls and created 15 turnovers for the Miners, topping the 32 and nine he had as a junior. A two-year starter, Philbrick leaves Bingham having scored three goals and two assists. 

Also selected for the All-State Second Team was Thomas Edman. The senior goalkeeper made 160 saves and forced 51 ground balls for Bingham in his first full year as a starter. Edman departs with the sixth best ground ball season and the second best save total in school history. 

On the girls squad, senior midfielder Sophie Grizzle was selected to her second consecutive All-State First Team. She scored 51 goals and had 22 assists for a 10-9 Bingham team that reached the state quarterfinals. Grizzle also created 50 ground balls and 41 turnovers in her final season. 

Two Miners made the All-State Second Team. First, senior attacker Aspen Little was selected to her third straight All-State team, all of which have been for the Second Team. She scored 68 goals and added 13 assists for the Miners, finishing her time at Bingham with 126 goals. Also, junior Shalyssa Orr was named to her first All-State Second Team having made 116 saves as Bingham’s goalkeeper. 

Senior Megan Tew was named a 6A Honorable Mention. It was the first All-State selection for Tew, who scored 36 goals for the Miners as a midfielder.