However, should Cottonwood should go on to win the Class 4A championship next week, the Colts will have their defense to thank and it's ability to make plays when it matters most.

Using the strength of a fourth down stop, and the standout play of senior running back Isi Sofele, Cottonwood defeated Pine View 19-14 in Friday's semifinal at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

And unlike a season full of blowouts and lopsided scores, the Colts school record 13th consecutive victory came the hard way. In fact, it took a brilliant fourth down tackle by senior linebacker Jason Bilanzich, to propel Cottonwood to the win. With four minutes remaining, Pine View had penetrated the Colts 10 yardline and a go-ahead score appeared imminent. Bilanzich, though, had other ideas.

"It's a tribute to the coaches and the players of this program that we were able to come away with the win," Cottonwood coach Cecil Thomas said. "They came and took momentum away from us in the second half, but we were able to hang on for the win."

The previous three semifinal games, stemming from Thursday, have all ended with lopsided scores. When Sofele raced 48 yards for his third touchdown of the day, it seemed as if the Colts 19-0 lead would be enough to erase all doubt as to who would be advancing to face Timpview in the title game.

Pine View, however, didn't see things that way.

The Panthers, showing a resilience that escaped them in a 52-23 regular season loss to this same Cottonwood team, rallied behind the overall brilliance of Justin Ence, who rebounded from a pedestrian first half to become dominant for the rest of the game.

Ence's 12 yard run with 4:36 left in the third quarter closed the deficit to 19-7. Following a turnover, Ence broke free for a a 39 yard touchdown run to bring the Panthers within five points.

"They really played well in the second half," said Colts offensive lineman John Martinez. "They really took it to us and changed momentum. We knew coming in that this was going to be different than the first game. Pine View's a good team. We knew they were a physical team. They played a great second half."

What Pine View did better than any other team that's faced Cottonwood this season is not bow to the pressure of the Colts fastbreak offense. Cottonwood got its yardage to be sure. But the Colts failed to score at least 30 points for the first time this season. The five point margin of victory is the second smallest of the year, just one point behind the 40-36 road win over Layton in the second game of the season.

"Three years ago we came here and lost in the semifinals," Sofele said. "So I feel very fortunate to come here and win with this group of guys."