SANDY -- The first half of Viewmont's playoff game against Alta went according to plan. The second half? That's another question. After clinging to a 3-0 lead in the first half, Viewmont was worn down by Alta in the second half on their way to a 17-3 loss. Viewmont didn't lose this one without a fight though. The Vikings' defense looked very much in control in the first half as they shut out the Hawks.
Both defenses dominated this one as all Viewmont could muster on offense in the first half was a 46-yard Derrick Keddington field goal with just under one minute to go in the second quarter.
The Vikings' defense held Alta's star junior running back, Sausan Shakerin, to virtually no first half yards and literally no touches. The one spark on Alta's offense during the first 24 minutes of play came from quarterback Dallin Cutler's scrambling and timely throwing ability.
"We're sitting OK right now," Viewmont assistant coach Jeff Emery said at halftime. "All we need to do is a little more on offense, and if we can shut them (Alta) down again defensively, we can win this thing."
This was a rematch of the second game of the year when Viewmont won 30-27.
Viking quarterback Greg Madsen and running backs Tyler Anderson and Seth Fraughton had big games to propel Viewmont to victory in that one.
It was a little different this time.
A lack of a consistent Viking air attack brought many times eight and nine men to the defensive line for Alta. That strategy seemed to work the entire game except for one drive early in the fourth quarter.
Viewmont recovered an Alta fumble at their own 16-yard line and promptly reeled off five straight runs that got them to the midfield point.
Once at the Alta 46-yard line though, the Vikes bogged down offensively, forcing a crucial third-and-10.
Madsen went to the air and was intercepted by Tyler Cahoon, who returned it all the way to the Viewmont 12-yard line.
Shakerin ran the ball in from the six, icing the game at 17-3 with just 2:48 remaining.
Shakerin torched Viewmont's defense for over 300 all-purpose yards earlier in the year.
Although Alta did begin to wear down the Vikes in the second half, the Hawks still had their hands full against the gutsy Viewmont squad.
"Our guys played their guts out," Viewmont coach Robbie Gunter said. "It was a battle of two really good teams and I'm definitely not doing too well right now."
The 17-3 score isn't indicative of how close the game really was.
The Vikings lose a lot of senior leadership for next season and the challenge for Gunter and his staff will be how to reload and continue the competitiveness that Viewmont has shown the past couple of years in Region 1.
Viewmont had a streak of bad luck going into this one as they lost the tiebreakers to both Davis and Northridge for the second and third seeds out of the region respectively.
Alta was the toughest draw for the three teams and the Vikings got them.
The Vikings finished the season with a respectable 8-3 record while Alta moves on to the quarterfinals.
The Vikings had their shot and it was apparent in the first half that they were going to give it their all.
"Our defense was fantastic the entire game," Gunter added, "if we could have just done a little more in the second half."
news@davisclipper.com
Post a Comment
