The Hawks played their best half of the season to roll to a 55-14 victory over Viewmont on a blustery Halloween afternoon.

"The first half we put it together and scored every time we touched the ball on offense, and the defense stopped them almost every drive," said Alta quarterback Ammon Olsen. "We came out ready. Last week against Jordan was too close for us. We wanted to come out really hard and put them away."

That much was obvious, as the Hawks' offense ate up huge amounts of yardage nearly every time it touched the ball and led 48-7 at the half.

The only time it was close was after Parker Hausknecht scored from the 1-yard line to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead. Seconds later, Viewmont's quarterback, Ryan Workman, raced 74 yards for a tying touchdown.

But that was about it for the Vikings.

"Everything kind of went our way in the first half," said Alta coach Les Hamilton who called it the strongest half of the season. "Kids came ready to play. Defense played great. Special teams and offense was phenomenal in the first half. Everything came all together. ... To get in the playoffs and play that well is kind of exciting."

Olsen generated much of that excitement, as he hit 17 of 23 passes for 296 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 70 yards. On the only play where Alta faced a fourth-down situation in the first half, Olsen hit Parker Webster for a 37-yard touchdown.

It was almost too easy, as everything the Hawks tried seemed to work, and Viewmont seemed almost helpless on defense. Even Alta's defense scored on a 14-yard interception return by Garret Smart.

Olsen hit Webster for touchdowns of 10, 37 and 39 yards, and found Seth Becerra for a 14-yard score. Alex Rivas added a 6-yard run and Zach Petersen scored the Hawks' only touchdown of the second half with a 10-yard run.

To Viewmont's credit, the Vikings kept playing hard in the second half, as Workman capped a fine senior season with a 9-yard run. But after that first half blitz, it was obvious that the Hawks deserve their top ranking.