Never was that more apparent than when this past fall, the Bingham football team suffered lopsided losses against schools it has historically been dominant against. The Miners trudged to a 3-7 record, their worst mark in over a decade. 

Bingham’s girls soccer team limped to a 6-14 mark, too. The girls volleyball team did well with the athletes they had, under a new head coach and Bingham alum. But, they weren’t the same Miner power, either, finishing with a 14-8 record and bowing out in the 6A state quarterfinals. 

Such is life, one supposes, when what goes around eventually comes around. An open-enrollment policy allowed students to come from near and sometimes far to Bingham to participate in its unique school culture and welcoming atmosphere toward all—until the Jordan District slammed the door. 

The loss of Bingham’s starting quarterback from last year’s team to the Jordan District’s new reallocation policy, and in his case to West Jordan High, was painful enough—but he was far from the only one that was moved. The same was true on several other Bingham programs including girls soccer and volleyball. 

What’s the solution? That might be a complicated question. 

The City of West Jordan, in particular West Jordan High School, has been experiencing this dearth of kids for many years. Not since the early-to-mid 2000s has WJHS had a plentiful student body; the problem is that while some Utah cities stay young and sprite, others such as West Jordan and South Jordan are not. 

According to a recent report conducted by The Inexcellence Group based on data compiled from a December 2025 Jordan District board meeting, the “more established” Northside neighborhoods of West Jordan and South Jordan are aging in place and thus, while they’re remaining in their area homes, they’re not sending kids to area schools because their children have long since graduated. 

Meanwhile, the Southside in both cities is experiencing explosive growth, as new families with kids that are still very young resettle into high-density housing in the newer Herriman and Olympia neighborhoods, all the way north along the Oquirrhs to the West Jordan-Magna City boundary. 

This restructuring of families has also created a sort of shift in Bingham’s student body, in which a good portion of last year’s kids from grades 9-12 have now been pushed back toward schools within their natural boundaries. 

On that note, some personal news. I have been reassigned to another beat at City Journals, and so I will no longer be covering Bingham High School sports for the South Jordan Journal. 

Though the names and faces have changed in many ways since I started covering this beat back in 2015, and the West Jordan Journal in the years previous to that, the passion and spirit with which the Bingham High 

Community follows their athletics programs surely will not. Of that, I am certain. 

I have sincerely appreciated every opportunity in getting to know you, be it in person at a game, a practice or on social media. 

It is my fervent hope that in some small and meaningful way, my reporting here has contributed toward documenting the storied athletic history and proud tradition at BHS. Thank you very much. 

Brian Shaw has covered the Bingham sports (including football team seen here in 2023) for almost 10 years. (Photo by Pat McDonald)