Bingham football to face undefeated Booker T. Washington in Burger King State Champions Bowl Series

South Jordan, Utah — Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) has been counted among the nation's best high school football teams all season along. Now the Miners get a final chance to prove exactly where they rank among the national elite in 2014.

Bingham is one of six teams invited to participate in the inaugural Burger King State Champions Bowl Series on December 27 at Florida Atlantic University Stadium. The two-time defending Utah Class 5A champions will face Washington (Miami) in the final game in the three-game event.

All three games will be televised live on ESPNU.

Washington (14-0) won its third consecutive Florida Class 4A state title earlier this month. The Tornadoes have won 40 straight games — the state's longest active winning streak. They have a roster peppered with several FBS caliber athletes and the sort of speed and athleticism that can quickly frustrate any opponent.

Bingham is a likely underdog on paper, but the Miners do not associate themselves with that role. They feel confident about their ability to get the job done in Florida.

"We don't believe we're the underdog," senior cornerback Dominieke Jones said. "We believe that we're one of the top teams in the nation and we can play with these guys."

There's a special incentive for Bingham going into the game other than simple bragging rights. The Miners want to give their head coach Dave Peck one last victory before he closes the book on his coaching career.

Peck announced his retirement from coaching high school football after the Class 5A playoffs ended. His current offensive coordinator John Lambourne will take over as Bingham's head coach starting in 2015.

In 15 seasons at Bingham, Peck compiled a 154-37 record. His teams won 10 region championships and five state titles. His overall record through 21 seasons — which includes stints at Cyprus (Magna, Utah) and North Sanpete (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) — is 181-70. That ranks ninth-best all-time among Utah high school football coaches.

All of his players want him to taste success one last time.
 
"We want to repay our dues to Coach Peck," senior kicker Chayden Johnston said. "He's been amazing to all of us and the least we can do is send him on his way with a win."

Snapping Booker T. Washington's 40-game winning streak will not be a simple task. Bingham has not played a competitive football game since winning the state title last month and has rarely had its full roster available to practice during December.

The Miners' top three offensive skill players — quarterback Kyle Gearig, running back Cameron Smith and receiver Michael Green — are all on the school's basketball team. All three players have been absent during multiple football practices while traveling to basketball tournaments in Las Vegas and elsewhere. Other players have to work around commitments to wrestling and other winter sports.

One thing that is certain, however, is that Bingham will be prepared for the challenge ahead. The Miners can draw on plenty of big-game experience from contests over the past few seasons against elite teams like Bishop Gorman and Valor Christian. They know what to expect and, more importantly, they know they can compete.

"We learned our kids don't get intimidated by anybody," Peck said. "It doesn't matter what the atmosphere is like or the stadium is like or what the other kids look like or what they're wearing. We're going to come out and play our game. One of our mottoes is, 'Never out-hustled, never outhit.' I can't think of very many times in the last 10 years where we've been out-hustled or outhit by anybody — even in some games that we've lost."

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