5A high school football preview: Bingham at Fremont

Bingham (9-2) at Fremont (8-2)

5A state tournament quarterfinal

Friday, 3:30 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: Bingham by 7

All-time series: Bingham leads 7-3

Coach vs. coach: Bingham's Dave Peck leads Fremont's Kory Bosgeiter, 2-0

Last meeting: Nov. 19, 2011, Bingham 30, Fremont 7 (5A championship)

It's been almost a year ago, but that day last November left a lasting impression with both the Bingham and Fremont football teams.

The Miners blasted the Silver Wolves 30-7 for the 5A state championship on Nov. 19 of last year. And while that glorious day will live on in the hearts and minds of Bingham High players, coaches, parents and fans forever, it brings back some bitter memories, both physically and emotionally, for the folks from Fremont.

"We used that game as an example of things we needed to fix that we didn't do well in that game," said Fremont coach Kory Bosgieter, whose team hosts the Miners in a 5A quarterfinal rematch on Friday. "Those are the things that we don't want to happen again.

"But last year was last year, and this year is this year. We're excited to play them again, and we're pleased with how our preparation has gone this week.

"Offensively, we were a little nicked up last year, and then our starting quarterback got his jaw broken in the first half," Bosgieter said of last year's lopsided title-game loss. "I feel much better about our injury situation this year. We're a lot healthier than we were a year ago."

Bingham quarterback Brady Lail has thrown for more than 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns, and his top targets are Kalan Cantwell (7 catches for 512 yards and seven touchdowns) and Hayden Weichers (29 catches for 617 yards and nine TDs).

Running back Daniel Palepoi leads the Miners' ground game, rushing for over 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns.

"That running back of theirs is excellent," Bosgieter said of Palepoi. "He's big, and he runs hard."

Jared Afalava and Drake Miller are the top tacklers for the Miners' defense.

"Bingham's a good team, and they're very well-coached and very athletic," Bosgieter said. "Their middle linebacker (Afalava) is very athletic and as highly recruited as anybody around. Their D-line gets up and goes, and their secondary is very good, too.

"Their quarterback throws the ball well; they have three very capable receivers with a good tight end, and their O-line is very well-coached.

"Bingham's strength is always their depth. They have so many quality guys on their team," Bosgieter said. "Dave (Peck) emphasizes the same things in his program that we emphasize in ours. They're fundamentally sound; they block well and they tackle well."

In turn, Bingham coach Dave Peck has nothing but good things to say about Fremont's program as well. He and Bosgieter have got a mutual admiration for each other's way of doing things and, the best thing about it is, it's totally sincere.

"I've got a lot of respect for Fremont," Peck said. "Their coaches do about as good a job as anybody out there. ... They're a no-nonsense team and are real physical. I think our programs are a lot alike. We both work on fundamentals a lot.

"The winner of this game is going to be the team that wins the turnover battle. Whoever takes care of the ball best will win it. We're looking forward to going up there and playing them. I think it's going to be a great game between two evenly-matched teams."