Region titles are nice and wins in rivalry games are memorable. But when it comes to determining the state football champion in 5A, the rest of the classification can't keep pace with the two superpowers.
For the second time in three years, Alta and Bingham will play for the state title. The Hawks ensured their place in what should be another classic between the two teams with a brilliant performance in a 42-14 victory over Syracuse in the second semifinal at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
The two teams will fittingly play in the final game on Championship Friday next week at the U. The game has a 6:30 p.m. start time and
will no doubt be the main event of the 2008 high school football season.
"We're ready for them," said Alta defensive back Brandon Weiss. "It's been us two almost every single year. That's what we wanted and now we got it."
Weiss played a huge role in getting the Hawks into the title game. Alta led Syracuse 14-0 late in the second quarter, but lost the game's momentum when the Titans blocked a punt deep in the Hawks' territory. But with just 9.4 seconds left before halftime, Weiss intercepted a pass by Syracuse quarterback Braden Hamblin in the end zone to shift the game's momentum back to Alta's side.
"That was the biggest play of the game," said Alta receiver Parker Webster. "That just gave us all the momentum coming out of the half. It was a huge momentum changer."
The second half was all Alta. The Hawks opened the third quarter with a 13-play, 80-yard drive. Hawks quarterback Ammon Olsen, who rebounded from throwing four interceptions last week, tossed his second touchdown pass of the day with a 14-yard strike to Webster. The drive took more than six minutes off the clock and gave Alta a 21-0 lead.
Olsen completed 17-of-27 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 99 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
"Ammon last week didn't have the best game he had all year," said Hawks coach Les Hamilton. "He was determined to come out and play better today. He did a great job of running the offense."
The floodgates opened for the Hawks following Webster's score. Olsen threw a 71-yard touchdown strike to Zach Liston on a play that was set up as a screen, but fooled the Titans' defense and was tossed down field. Webster also caught a 63-yard touchdown bomb from Olsen, and finished with six receptions for 105 yards.
"We had to come out and show the state what we can do," Webster said. "We came out hard. We knew we had to come out and score early and often and we did."
The Hawks played what was probably their most complete game of the year, and that's saying something for a team that's 12-1. Alta held Syracuse to 48 yards of offense in the first half. The Titans gained a total of 270 yards of offense, but much of it came after the game had been decided.
"I thought the way our whole defense played the whole game was the game changer," said Weiss, who was deflecting praise for his interception in the first half. "We flew around. We wanted to shut these guys out."
The task gets much tougher for the Hawks in the title game. Alta did defeat Bingham 27-19 in Week 2, but the Miners are a much different team now. It will be the third straight year the two teams meet on the Rice-Eccles turf. Alta defeated Bingham in the semifinals last year en route to winning the state title.
"I think everybody wants to see us and Bingham go at it again," Hamilton said. "We're excited about that. Bingham is a great program. They're rolling right now, they're just crushing people. We got our hands full and we know that."
E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com