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Sandy • Two of Utah's most storied high school soccer programs renew one of the state's most bitter rivalries Thursday when Alta meets Brighton for the Class 5A soccer title at 4:30 p.m. at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The two Region 3 rivals have won 11 state soccer titles between them since Brighton won in 1989, but the Bengals haven't taken a crown since 2009 and Alta's last boys' championship came in 2011.

Region 7 champion Skyline will test Region 6 winner East at 7 p.m. for the 4A crown.

Alta, which has been led by hot goalie Alex Johnson, will be the favorite. The Hawks tied the Bengals 0-0 at Brighton in the first meeting and then blanked Brighton 3-0 in the final league game to secure the top seed and the region title.

Brighton has been winning with defense. The Bengals have scored just three goals in their past four games, losing 3-0 at Alta and then beating Granger, Davis and Layton 1-0 in three state tournament games.

If that Bengal defense holds, this could be a classic title game between two rivals who know each other well.

Skyline enters the 4A tournament as the defending champion and sports a hot goalie in Will Desantis, whose save on a penalty kick in Tuesday's semifinals against Provo is a big reason why the Eagles will be going for two straight.

East's only crown came in 2006. The only blemish on the Leopards' record the past 12 games was a tie with Highland.

East was in serious trouble in the semifinals against Timpview, trailing 1-0 late in the game. But Erick Olivas scored with 9:30 left to tie it. Then a massive hailstorm hit, delaying the game for about an hour. East came out and scored three quick goals in the final moments. Those late goals could give the Leopards big momentum going into the state title game.

Twitter @tribtomwharton _

Thursday's Schedule

P At Rio Tinto Stadium

4:30 p.m. • Alta vs. Brighton

7 p.m. • East vs. Skyline