High school football: Weber scores 17 unanswered in road playoff win over Bingham

Weber’s Dyson Parker is as versatile a weapon as there is in Utah high school football, and like his namesake, will vacuum up every offensive and defensive opportunity that comes his way.
Parker was a multi-dimensional dynamo and Weber’s defense shut Bingham out with three turnovers on downs and a fumble recovery in the second half of a 27-14 road playoff victory Friday night.
“He’s a star,” Weber coach Mo Cannon said of Parker. “He’s one of those guys that we know we can count on him anytime in the game. Offensively or defensively, that’s a dude right there for sure. Dyson Parker is going to be a big name this next year.”
Bingham held a 14-10 lead at halftime before Weber put the game in Parker’s hands with old-fashioned carries, swing passes, pass routes, direct snaps and more.
He touched the ball five times on Weber’s first possession of the second half and capped the 80-yard drive off with a 1-yard touchdown to secure the Warriors’ first lead of the game.
Parker admitted his legs “hurt a little bit” after the game but that his ability to shoulder the load is a byproduct of working in the offseason with his dad on agility drills and heavy weight lifting.
“I feel very comfortable,” Parker said. “I believe in my (offensive) line to open up some gaps for me. All I’ve got to do is run the ball.”
Weber capitalized on a punt that doinked off the helmet of a Weber player to open the scoring. Set up inside Weber’s 40, the Miners leaned on their two-headed rushing attack of Lincoln Tahi and Felise Felipe.
Felipe rushed for a 17-yard gain with a vicious stiff arm to put Tahi in position to break off the left side of the line to score an 8-yard touchdown as Bingham gained the lead 7-0 with 3:42 remaining in the opening quarter.
Weber took over and nearly drove the length of the field as quarterback Crew Cacciacarne found three different receivers for chunk plays before the drive stalled and Alex Johnson knocked in a chipshot field goal to make it 7-3.
Tahi went back to work and broke open a 49-yard gain on the Miners’ next play from scrimmage. Then it was Felipe’s turn to score a few plays later on a 2-yard barrel up the middle of Weber’s defense to increase the lead to 14-3 with 5:10 left until halftime.
The Warriors struck fast and furiously in response. Wide receiver Ian Elmore gathered up the ensuing kickoff and outraced everyone down the Bingham sideline for a 96-yard return touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-10 just 20 seconds later.
In the second half, Weber clamped down on Bingham’s rushing attack and forced the Miners to try to beat them through the air.
“We knew exactly what we needed to do,” Cannon said. “We honed down on our technique, making sure that we stayed gap sound and the defense went out there and put it into fruition for us.”
After Parker’s score, the Weber defense turned Bingham away for the first time. The Warriors offense fumbled but Brock Bean recovered a fumble of his own on the next play.
Bean was in the end zone a few plays later on the receiving end of a Cacciacarne 12-yard toss to make it 24-14.
“We knew it was going to work because the safeties were spread out and I was wide open in the middle,” Bean said of his touchdown reception.
Bingham stalled again for another turnover on downs and Parker put Johnson in place to nail a 38-yard field goal and increase the lead to 27-14 with 5:46 left in the game.
Weber stuffed the Miners’ last offensive gasp with another fourth down stop and Parker picked up a fourth down conversion of his own to drain the waning seconds off the clock for the victory.
Cannon said he’s looking forward to another week of practice and that he’s ready for his team to “go have some fun with it” as they move on in the 6A playoffs.
“This team has battled through so much this year. So, so much,” Cannon said. “For them to be able to put it together when it matters, be able to get the time to get our bodies back, we really believe that when we’re healthy, we’re very hard to beat.”