"It just means no one is going to beat us in the fourth quarter," quarterback Steve Romero said. "We work too hard to be beat in the fourth quarter."

But, the Colts had already made quite the statement, dominating the visiting Pine View Panthers in the first half to eventually win 52-23 on Friday.

The numbers speak for themselves. Cottonwood racked up 330 yards of total offense in the first half while holding the Panthers to just 89. The Colts did whatever they pleased on offense. Romero connected with his receivers and the offensive line created more than enough space for running back Isi Sofele. Romero finished with 291 passing yards while Sofele rushed for 191 yards.

The Colt's explosive offense had the Panthers overwhelmed in the first half. Cottonwood went into halftime with a commanding 28-0 lead.

"We came out flat in the first half," Pine View coach Ray Hosner said. "We dropped a couple of balls and had some blown coverages. But we battled back in the second and that's all I can ask for."

Even though the Panthers started clicking offensively, Cottonwood kept up its intensity and was able to move the ball just as well as it had in the first half. Pine View got its first score when quarterback Justin Ence ran the ball in 68 yards. But, the Colts had an answer every time the Panthers scored.

In the second half, the Colts forced two fumbles, had an interception and finished the game with 519 total offensive yards.

"Romero just plays smart and makes great decisions. We just have some great playmakers," Cottonwood coach Cecil Thomas said. "The defense kept them at bay and the kids just had great focus."

mthach@sltrib.com

* By halftime, Cottonwood had a commanding 28-0 lead.

* The Colts finished with 519 total yards of offense.

* Pine View battled in the second half and got its first score from quarterback Justin Ence.