Conner Sullivan opens the game with a 50-yard touchdown run down the left sideline.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) 42, Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 7 Three hours after Alta made a strong case for Utah football, un-ranked Orange Lutheran humbled the two-time defending state 5A champion with a near-perfect opening night performance at the Mission Viejo Football Classic.
Senior quarterback
Conner Sullivan, just named the starter in the last week after a possible starter transferred, accounted for four touchdowns, three passing.
His only rushing touchdown opened the scoring, a 50-yard sprint around left end to finish off an opening 83-yard drive that set the tone.
After Bingham (2-1), ranked third in Utah, tied the score at 7-7 on a 1-yard run by Daniel Palepoi later in the first quarter, Lutheran (1-0) absolutely dominated. By midway through the fourth, after
Graeme Fraser's second touchdown run - a 41-yard jaunt - the mercy running clock was set.
Orange Lutheran tight end Miles Willis goes after 25-yard touchdown pass from Conner Sullivan.
Photo by Louis Lopez
This against a team that hadn't lost in its last 26 games. That last loss was also out of state, to Trinity (Euless, Texas) 41-21 in the third game of the 2009 season.
"We thought we were such bad-asses in Utah, but we came in here and got humbled," highly-touted 6-foot-3, 220-pound Bingham linebacker Jared Afaiava told Bill Oran of the Salt Lake Tribune.
Bingham could learn how to deal from humility by Sullivan who had four career starts and no touchdown passes and four interceptions. But the unimposing 6-foot, 185-pound senior responded with a career game on his biggest stage to date.
Lutheran tight end Miles Willis stretches after his own tip.
Photo by Louis Lopez
He said preparation in the vaunted Trinity League, which annually boasts 2-3 nationally-ranked teams, helped him with Saturday's performance. He threw for 124 yards and completed TD passes of 7 yards to Brady Roelofs, 25 yards to Miles Willis and 3 yards to Demetrius Palmer.
"I was just trying to manage the game and make good reads," Sullivan said. "It turned out better than I could have expected, but that's because of all the good work my teammates did."
Orange Lutheran coach Jim Kunau, whose team won the 2006 State Division II Bowl Game title, said he wasn't surprised by Sullivan's performance.
"He played just like he practices," Kunau said. "All the kids did. I wasn't expecting 42-7, but I always expect our boys to perform at a high level."
Orange Lutheran tight end Miles Willis completes his circus 25-yard touchdown catch.
Photo by Louis Lopez
See Alta's big win.