Five Utah high school football teams still alive for undefeated seasons

Video: Brayden Cosper's highlights vs. Hunter
Watch the Miners' junior wide receiver help keep Bingham undefeated in a 42-7 win over Hunter.

Only five Utah high school football teams still sport unblemished records midway through the 2016 regular season. All five schools share some common characteristics. They are experienced and talented squads who are explosive on offense and stingy on defense.

Class 4A is the only classification with multiple undefeated schools – East, Alta and Springville. Bingham is the only remaining unbeaten Class 5A team and South Summit is the last unbeaten Class 2A team. Class 3AA and Class 1A's top teams have at least one loss and Class 3A has one team, Morgan, with a winning record.

Here's a closer look at why each of the five remaining unbeaten teams do not have a blemish on their records:

Note: all team and individual stats are taken from stats submitted to MaxPreps.

1. Bingham (South Jordan)
Record: 6-0
Notable wins: vs Herriman (45-0), at Lone Peak (42-21)
Key stat: The Miners have shut out 27 opponents since the start of the 2010 season. Opposing teams have not scored in 31 percent of the total games Bingham has played in that time.
Why Bingham is still undefeated: No Class 5A team is more dominant on both sides of the ball than the Miners. Behind equally deep and talented offensive and defensive lines, Bingham leads Class 5A in scoring offense (45.7 ppg) and scoring defense (10.7 ppg). Staying competitive in a game with the Miners past halftime is nearly impossible. Bingham has outscored teams 180-11 in the first half this season.

2. East (Salt Lake City)
Record: 6-0
Notable wins: at De La Salle (23-21), vs Pulaski Academy (37-23).
Key stat: The Leopards have scored 14 touchdowns on plays of 50 yards or longer this season. Twenty-seven of East's touchdowns have come on scoring plays of at least 20 yards.
Why East is still undefeated: Few teams can figure out how to slow down the Leopard offense long enough to stay in the game. East leads the state in scoring with 48.8 points per game and has a knack for generating one explosive play after another. Jaylen Warren is one reason behind it. Warren, a senior, has run for 1,324 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging an astonishing 13.4 yards per carry.

3. Alta (Sandy)
Record: 7-0
Notable wins: vs Timpview (32-24), vs Dixie (35-14).
Key stat: The Hawks have reached either the Class 5A or Class 4A playoffs 20 consecutive seasons. Alta has failed to win a playoff game only six times in two decades.
Why Alta is still undefeated: Offensive balance has made the Hawks tough to contain. Alta is one of two schools to have players ranked in the top 10 statewide in passing yards and rushing yards. Josh Davis ranks second statewide in rushing, with 1,132 yards and 15 touchdowns on 122 carries. Will Dana is seventh in passing, throwing for 1,439 yards and 17 touchdowns while completing 67 percent of his passes. 4. Springville
Record: 6-0
Notable wins: vs Skyridge (28-21), at Lehi (40-34).
Key stat: The Red Devils have won 20 consecutive regular season games dating back to October 2014. Eight of those victories have been decided by eight or fewer points.
Why Springville is still undefeated: Closing out tight games is something Springville does well. The Red Devils are 2-0 in overtime this season, beating Lehi and Spanish Fork. Big plays also have factored into the equation. Springville can torch defenses in a hurry. Senior receiver Brennen Rymer, for example, has had scoring plays of 40 yards or longer on all seven of his touchdowns this season.

5. South Summit (Kamas)
Record: 6-0
Notable wins: vs San Juan (35-26), at Morgan (22-20)
Key stat: The Wildcats have allowed just 10.0 points per game over their last 17 region games dating back to the start of the 2013 season.
Why South Summit is still undefeated: Adding a consistent passing element to the Wildcats' usual triple-option attack has made their offense truly dangerous. Through six games, junior quarterback Nick Beasley has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and has 19 touchdown passes. Beasley's passing has South Summit on track for a fourth consecutive double-digit win season.


John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can contact John at john_coon@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports