Bingham football yearbook: Palepoi feature

Here's an article I wrote on Bingham High School running back Daniel Palepoi for the team's football yearbook.

Daniel Palepoi:

Bruising running back was key figure
in Miners’ bid for another state title

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

Daniel Palepoi’s high school football career certainly didn’t follow a straight line.

Palepoi, a bruising 5-foot-11, 225-pounder, was the youngest of 14 kids and moved to Salt Lake from Las Vegas prior to his junior year and lived with his sister.

Although he had been used primarily on the defensive line and at linebacker, Bingham coach Dave Peck knew his brother, Anton, was in the NFL. Peck immediately viewed Daniel as the successor to Harvey Langi, the Miners’ all-time rushing leader who graduated last year.

“We saw him as being our ‘go-to’ guy,” Peck said.

Palepoi remembered how the change took place.

“Bingham wanted me at fullback or linebacker,” he recalled. “Coach Keith (Chatelain) saw me catch some passes and that’s how it started.”

As a junior, Palepoi carried just 20 times and averaged 10 yards per carry. As a senior, he opened the season with a 170-yard performance against West Jordan and was a workhorse the next week against Alta, carrying the ball 29 times at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Perhaps just as importantly, he helped the Miners dominate time of possession and keep it out of Alta’s hands.

“My offensive line made me look better than I was,” Palepoi said. “It was tough for a guy like me to come in after Harvey Langi. I was kind of scared to fill his shoes.”

That fear didn’t last long. Palepoi had injury issues all year, but finished with 1,180 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry and was an even bigger workhorse than Langi. He carried the ball 182 times, despite missing 2.5 games with a concussion suffered against Lone Peak and the outcome still in doubt.

“I don’t remember much about that game,” he said.

Most everyone else did.

In front of a full stadium and a locally televised audience, they remember that Palepoi had 113 yards on 19 carries in the first half as Bingham trailed just 21-17. The Miners actually took the lead in the third period on a run by Tonga Manu, but the offense couldn’t keep up.

Palepoi watched the rest of that game from the sidelines, and Peck had to find an alternative until he was ready to return.

“It was tough because Daniel gives you the power and the speed combination," Peck said. "I wasn’t taking any chances with it. At that point in the season, the No. 1 thing was getting healthy."

With the defense dominating opponents, Palepoi wasn’t necessarily needed. He remained out until Bingham’s “Senior Night” game against Pleasant Grove. Remembering that contest put a big smile on his face. He rushed for 212 yards on just 14 carries and scored three touchdowns.

“That was my best game,” Palepoi said. “The week before, they (the Vikings) had lost to Lone Peak by just 17-0 and they were all hyped up.”

Palepoi had scoring runs of 2, 72 and 55 yards in the 41-0 victory. He enjoyed being on the field that night and admitted to having an extra skip in his step. Putting Palepoi in the backfield again also fueled his teammates, who wanted another shot at Lone Peak with him at full strength.

It never happened, of course, but that only left questions of “what if.” Still, there were too many good memories to be disappointed.

“I think I’ll remember the Alta game most,” Palepoi said. “It was well-publicized and they said they would beat us and everyone had us as the underdog. Coach Peck told me that I might have 30 carries, but I didn’t believe he was serious.”

It turned out that was Palepoi’s introduction to how important he would be for Bingham this season, regardless of how he got there.