For most teams, such a deficit would be insurmountable, especially against a Miners team that had steamrolled opponents for the past three months. But the Hawks have been pulling off rallies all season long, and Friday night just added another chapter to their scrapbook.

By scoring two touchdowns in those nine minutes, and by stopping Bingham every time it looked like the Miners would put the game away, the Hawks were able to come back for a 21-17 win in front of an animated crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The victory gives Alta its second consecutive Class 5A state title. It gives the Hawks their third straight win in what is the biggest and best rivalry in Utah high school football.

The final score was also the exact same score of last year's semifinal matchup, not to mention that it was the second-biggest fourth-quarter rally in title game history.

"We've been making comebacks like this all year long," said Alta senior receiver Parker Webster. "We did it against Jordan and we did it against Davis in the playoffs. We just told ourselves that we've been here before. We knew that as long as there was time on the clock that we had a chance to win."

It was Webster who made the game-changing catch, a grab made with Bingham defensive back Braden Anderson hanging all over him. The catch gave Alta the ball at the Miners' 2-yard line and enabled Ammon Olsen to score on the very next play for the game-winning touchdown with 34 seconds remaining.

Olsen's score capped a six-play, 71-yard drive that featured a pair of option pitches to Alex Rivas for critical first downs. That was important because, up to that point, the Hawks' running game consisted of only the occasional Olsen quarterback draw up the middle. And while Olsen did run 19 times for 47 yards, his production was hardly what was envisioned when the Alta coaches drew up a scheme for a rushing offense earlier in the week.

"We wanted to come out and go with five wide receivers and no-huddle," Hawks coach Les Hamilton said. "We did that, but we didn't think we schemed enough for it. We went back with the regular offense in the second half, and we were able to get Alex the ball on that final drive. It was huge for us."

As was the drive before, which produced not only a touchdown with Alta trailing 17-6, but the two-point conversion from Olsen to Webster.

Before that drive began, it seemed unlikely at best for the Hawks to be able to erase such a deficit. The Miners, through the first three and a half quarters, were great on defense, constantly getting pressure on Olsen, sacking him twice, harassing him, and intercepting him before the first half ended.

That turnover led to a field goal, which staked Bingham to a 10-6 advantage. Harvey Langi's one yard plunge gave the Miners a 17-6 lead.

At that point, it looked as if Bingham was too strong, and too good for Alta on this day. But the Miners had several chances to put the game away and didn't capitalize on those opportunities. And those openings were all that the Hawks, who were forced to rally in the quarterfinal round to beat Davis, would need.

"I'm just very proud of this team," Hamilton said. "Everyone said we couldn't do it. They said we were too young because we lost 18 starters from the year before. But this team came through and proved everyone wrong. They were phenomenal when they had to be."

tjones@sltrib.com

Storylines

* Ammon Olsen scores the game-winning touchdown on a 2-yard run with 34 seconds remaining.

* Alta wins its second consecutive Class 5A title with the victory.

For a photo gallery of the game, visit www.tribpreps.com