Alta and Davis moved on to the 4A soccer finals with a pair of controversial overtime victories Thursday at Hillcrest.
The Hawks outlasted Viewmont, a finalist last year and the 1988 champion, with a 3-2 victory that went to a sudden-death shootout.
The Darts' victory came thanks to a penalty kick with just three minutes left in the second overtime, giving them a 2-1 upset win over Mountain View.
Alta and Davis will meet in the championship contest at 6 p.m. at the Hillcrest field. Alta 3, Viewmont 2 OT
After playing to a 2-2 tie after regulation two overtime periods, Alta and Viewmont went to a shootout. It turned out to be one of the longest in state tournament history as 10 players from each team shot before the Hawks prevailed.
The Hawks appeared to have the game wrapped up in regular portion of the shootout (five shots per team) as they made their first four shots, while Viewmont missed one. But the Hawks' fifth shooter, Shane Jones, had his shot stopped on a nice save by goalkeeper Josh Carmack. Then Nate Smart scored for Viewmont to send it to sudden-death. Alta's goalkeeper, John Ragsdale was first up, but his shot bounced off the left post. That left the door open for the Vikings' Kevin Campbell, but Ragsdale stopped his low shot.
The next two shooters for each side scored, but when Alta's Darren Burrup had his shot stopped by Carmack, it was Viewmont's advantage.
Stan Graham's shot was stopped by Ragsdale, but the official on the goalline said Ragsdale moved too early, which would have meant a re-kick. But the main official out front overruled, and the shootout continued.
It ended on the next round when Matt Smith scored for Alta and Jeremy Roberts' shot for Viewmont went over the top.
The Viewmont players and fans were incensed at the officials afterwards because they thought Ragsdale had moved too early (the goalkeeper can't move until the ball is kicked) several times in the shootout.
"I don't know, I try to move when they kick the ball," said Ragsdale. "If I left a little early . . . the refs call what they see."
Viewmont Coach Roger Cushing was disappointed, but gracious in defeat.
"It was a good contest and the shootout was the only way to solve it," he said. "I asked the ref (about the apparent overruling) and he said the other official didn't have the authority to call it."
Another official confirmed that later, saying that the only function of the official on the goalline is to see if the ball crosses the line, not to judge whether the goalie moves.
Alta's first two goals were scored by John Carper and Shane Jones, while Nick Berry and Greg Smith got the goals for Viewmont. Davis 2, Mountain View 1 OT
The controversy in this one came on the winning goal by the Darts with just over three minutes left in the second overtime.
Davis' Sam Adams had just taken the ball into the penalty area when he was apparently tripped from behind by Mountain View's Lloyd Rickenbach. The official quickly called a foul, which resulted in a penalty kick for Davis.
Erik Emmons, the Darts' designated shooter, put one past the Bruins' Brian Jolley and the Darts held on in the last three minutes for the win.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game. We were just hoping for a break and we got it," said Davis Coach Alan Porter.
Following a scoreless first half, the Bruins got on the scoreboard nine minutes into the second half when Ben Cahoon knocked in a rebound off a shot by Jon Lovell.
The Darts tied it when Brandon Law scored from 25 yards out with a high, looping kick that hit the cross bar and fell into the goal. The goal, at the 57-minute mark, was Law's first of the season.
The Bruins who were the aggressors most of the night, had several chances to score, but couldn' get it past Brad Pierson, who was filling in for Brad Bodily, benched for a red card the previous day.