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Sandy • The chance to play an out-of-state team Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium had fired up the Hawks all week. They were ready to challenge their California opponent — maybe a little too ready.

"We didn't know a lot about them — we thought they were going to be great," said Alta quarterback Tyson Blackner, who finished with 153 yards and three touchdowns through the air. "We definitely expected more."

Alta's 56-0 win over Taft wasn't as much a statement about the strength of Utah football as it was a faster, stronger team beating up on a clearly overwhelmed one. The interstate contest was hardly a contest at all, as the Hawks (5-1) held the Toreadores (0-3) to 51 yards of total offense in the first half and played its JV the rest of the way.

"We definitely were more prepared," linebacker Steven Miller said. "I felt like we were a lot faster and we were better conditioned. We just played hard."

The game seemed to start out well for Taft, as Alta went three-and-out on its first drive. The game took a turn when the Toreadores fumbled away the punt return and the Hawks recovered.

Bryan Engstrom was quick to take advantage. The senior running back punished Taft's defenders with hard runs. He finished the drive off with a touchdown, pushing two Toreadores into the end zone with him to give Alta the initial 7-0 lead.

The Hawks gained traction once again as Engstrom burst through the Taft defense for a 24-yard touchdown less than two minutes later. Blackner, after failing to connect on his first five pass attempts, threw for two more touchdowns — one to Jordan Urrutia and one to Steven Richards. Parker Timmerman booted a 51-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Once they got rolling, it seemed the Hawks could hardly miss.

"When your defense gives you a turnover, it definitely helps you get going," Blackner said. "We just didn't execute at first, but things really came together."

On the other side of the ball, Taft's offense floundered against Alta. Toreadores running back Dejaun Butler couldn't find any room to run, and multiple penalties on the offensive line drew setback after setback.

Miller hammered home Alta's dominance in the second quarter, returning a interception 40 yards for another touchdown. Another Blackner pass to Ammon Barker pushed the lead to 44-0 at halftime, and the Hawks' starters were done for the evening. They spent the rest of the game coaxing on the backups as Alta scored 12 more points in the second half.

It was a disheartening defeat for the Toreadores, who have started out winless this season and have yet to score a touchdown. Taft coach Chris Rizzo didn't hesitate to say Alta is the best team they've played all year.

"They played good football — they hit us in the mouth and just didn't stop all game," Rizzo said. "I heard they could go far in Utah, but they could go far in California, too."

kgoon@sltrib.com Twitter: @kylegoon —

Highlights

R The Hawks starters rack up 44 points in the first half as they take down Taft.

• Quarterback Tyson Blackner throws for three touchdowns, and RB Bryan Engstrom runs for two.