PLEASANT VIEW — The school insignia on his blue polo and his position on the coaching totem pole may have been new, but the setting was entirely familiar.

After years of squaring off against Weber as a Roy High player and assistant coach, ‘The Shield’ — which is awarded to the victor of each Weber vs. Roy contest — wasn’t on the line this time for new Bingham head coach Eric Jones. However, it also wasn’t just another soon-to-be-forgotten preseason matchup in his inaugural game at the helm of one of one of the historically premier programs in the state.

By the time the dust had settled — and an 80-minute, first-period lightning delay had expired — Jones was the owner of a 1-0 career mark as the Miners claimed a resounding 42-14, season-opening victory over the Warriors.

Last year’s matchup between the two squads was a demonstration of offensive firepower with 13 total touchdowns scored in Bingham’s 55-35 win. This time around, apart from a single second-quarter drive when the Warriors got clicking, the Weber offense sputtered throughout the evening.

The two-time defending Region 1 champion Warriors, who are trying to fill a host of key spots on both sides of the ball, were overmatched the rest of the way as the Miners scored all six touchdowns on the ground.

“I thought our offensive line did a great job allowing us to run the ball,” Jones said. “I know Weber is super young and they’ll be good in a couple of years after graduating a good class like they had last year, but I’m still just happy with our guys coming out and being able to run the ball the way they did.”

After forcing Weber into a three-and-out first possession, the Bingham offense, orchestrated by former Roy head coach Fred Fernandes, scored on its first opportunity of the new era. The 10-play, 47-yard drive culminated in an 8-yard run through the Weber defense and into the end zone by Havea Fotu just over midway through the first quarter.

Following the lengthy delay, Fotu scored again on a 2-yard run to make it 14-0 early in the second period.

After faltering on their first two possessions, the Weber passing game got in sync momentarily. Quarterback Aidan Carter completed 7 of 10 passes, dicing apart the Miner defense with quick strikes, on a 12-play drive that culminated in a 3-yard Austin Gussie touchdown.

Carson Sudbury tacked on another Bingham touchdown just before the half to make it 21-7. He then opened the second half with a 65-yard scoring scamper, weaving through the Warrior defense.

A pair of third-quarter Weber interceptions were cashed into points by the Miners, as Sudbury and Fotu each added their third touchdowns.

Carter tossed a 6-yard scoring pass to Crash Coggins in the closing minutes to account for the final.

“I’m really happy for the kids,” Jones said. “It’s been a long off-season and a lot of adjustment for those kids; the third offensive coordinator in three years. They’ve done a really good job picking up on new stuff and executing at that level this early in the year. We’ve still got things to clean up but I’m really happy with it.”

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