SYRACUSE — Syracuse High’s football team was already replacing about 75% of its starters from last year’s team, then had additional starters or would-be starters transfer out before the season.

And, the Titans were breaking in a new head coach. Most signs pointed toward things being a struggle early on.

They were, but after an 0-2 start, they’ve now won three straight games after a hang-on-for-dear-life, 9-7 win over a much bigger Bingham team on Friday night.

The Titans now, in the words of their first-year head coach Mitch Tulane, are ready for region play.

Senior kicker Easton Choate went 3 for 3 on field goals of 42, 27 and 20 yards.

“Great game, I mean, that’s all I can ask for personally as a kicker. I wouldn’t be able to do it without my operation: my snapper, my holder, they both had a great game, and my offense putting me in the position to just go out there and do what I do,” Choate said.

Then he and everyone watched as Bingham kicker Tristen Eden’s potential game-winning 33-yard field goal from the left hashmark stayed left with 1:00 left in the game, eliciting a loud roar from the Syracuse stands.

Though the Titans’ story is still being written — Region 1 play starts next week — Tulane knows Friday’s win is significant.

“I think it tells us that when we play our game, we can play with anybody. I know that Bingham is 1-3, but they’re a good football team and they’ve played a way better preseason than we have … we just knew if we came and did our job, we could hang,” Tulane said.

Defensively, the Titans delivered their best game of the season.

In the first half, they forced three turnovers, two fourth-down stops and one punt.

Kysen Gallegos picked up a muffed punt, Xander Garcia and Madden Nelson had interceptions, defensive lineman Cole Hokum got in on two sacks, and defensive end Hoyt Pula covered the field like a king-size blanket.

But the team scored just six first-half points despite the defense’s excellent play. Choate, a recent transfer from Roy, made two field goals that put Syracuse up 6-0 at halftime — but it could’ve been more.

Garcia made critical tackles in the second half as part of what Tulane called a better tackling game from the defense overall.

Nelson, who is not a regular starter at safety, got a shoutout from Tulane afterward as well.

Choate’s third field goal, with 6:06 left in the third quarter, came after a drive that had two third-down conversions but which stalled on third-and-goal.

The shutout lasted until the fourth quarter when Bingham’s workhorse running back, Lincoln Tahi, scored from 7 yards out.

Syracuse’s offense, despite two 15-yard penalties on Bingham, sputtered on the next drive and punted, setting the Miners up with 4:49 left on their own 14-yard line.

The vibes of the second half had shifted in such a way that Bingham looked almost certain to win, until it didn’t.

On the field goal, a Syracuse rusher got free on the left side, jumped and got both hands high in the air as Eden kicked the ball, which essentially was hit straight and missed the left goalpost by inches, setting off a wild celebration.

Junior receiver Tanner Merrill, the offensive standout of the game, had six catches for 82 yards, according to unofficial stats. Four catches were athletic, twisting grabs along the sideline, including a 30-yarder with his back to the sideline while jumping above the cornerback.