Sandy » Midway through the first quarter of Alta's 59-20 beatdown of Cottonwood, Hawks lineman Jordan Black was seen running maniacally up and down the sidelines screaming one simple sentence to anyone who would listen.
"Welcome to 5A baby! Welcome to 5A."
Indeed.
In what was a game that was over before it began, Alta dominated from the start, exerting its will over the Colts, and announcing to the state that it fully intends on defending its two consecutive state titles.
The Hawks, simply put, did anything they wanted. On their first play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Jordy Brown ran for 54 yards. By their third play, Alta had scored two touchdowns.
"They talked and talked all week about how they were going to beat us in their first 5A game," said Black, who is committed to play football next season at BYU.
"All we wanted was a little bit of respect and they didn't want to give it to us. They didn't have any respect for anyone."
The game was close exactly once, when Cottonwood's Crosby Jensen hooked up with senior receiver Tim Glenn for a 65-yard touchdown pass to close the Colts to within 24-14. The Hawks responded by scoring the next 28 points to take a commanding 52-14 advantage.
The problems for the Colts were too numerous to ignore. Alta, led by Black, was too big for Cottonwood in the trenches, and the Hawks were able to run the ball at will. When the Colts were forced to commit an extra defender to stop the ground game, Brown went to work, connecting with people such as Tyron Morris for long touchdown strikes.
The rushing attack, led by seniors Bryan Finnerty and Adrian Jefferson, gives these Hawks a different, more dangerous look than last season.
"We didn't have that last year," Alta coach Les Hamilton said. "We feel like we can do some more things this year because we have three guys who can run with the ball. We have an explosive running game, and I think that's really going to pay off this year."
Finnerty led the way on the ground, running 13 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Jefferson scored a touchdown, and junior Taylor Eyring chipped in with a touchdown on the ground as well.
Defensively, the Hawks flew to the ball. Without all-state linebacker Toloa'i Ho-Ching in the lineup, players such as Beaver Ho-Ching picked up the slack, swarming Jensen and never letting the senior find a flow. Austin Lee, a promising sophomore defensive back, made the biggest play of the night, picking off a Jensen pass and returning it 25 yards for a touchdown.
"I thought that was the turning point," Hamilton said. "I was very proud of the defense tonight. I thought they were huge."
The Hawks score two touchdowns on their first three plays from scrimmage.
