Last year, Alta High School of Utah gave the Grant Pacers a lesson in offensive football.
The Hawks exploited a young Pacers defense in winning 52-33 en route to a 13-1 season and the Utah 5A state championship.
But the Pacers (3-0) learned well enough to return the favor Saturday night in Del Paso Heights. They intercepted four passes and recovered four fumbles to beat the Hawks 35-28. It marked the second week in a row the Pacers defeated a state No. 1 ranked team.
The Pacers defeated Highland of Pocatello at last week's Rocky Mountain Rumble at Idaho State.
But the Hawks (4-1) proved a more formidable and resilient foe. The Pacers needed every one of those eight turnovers to prevail.
After recovering an onside kick with eight seconds to play, Hawks quarterback Ammon Olsen lofted a pass more than 60 yards. But Grant's Howard Warren, running stride for stride with the Alta receiver along the right sideline, picked it off. Warren's 95-yard return was nullified by a penalty, but the Pacers ran out the clock and everyone on Grant's sidelined breathed a huge sigh of relief.
The Pacers seemed to have the game in hand minutes before on Devonate Butler's 44-yard touchdown run for a 35-21 lead.
But with 1:57 left, the Hawks went 83 yards in six plays, Olsen passing nine yards for the touchdown with 17 seconds to go.
The Pacers could not recover the bouncing onside kick and Alta recovered, setting up Warren's game-saving play.
It appeared to be a game Grant was destined to win. Besides their eight turnovers, the Hawks had two touchdowns nullified by penalties and the Pacers weren't hurting themselves with their mistakes.
Just before the end of the first half after Alta had pulled within 21-14, Butler returned the short kick 60 yards for an apparent touchdown. But a penalty nullified the score and gave Grant the ball on the Alta 41. The next play Kipeli Koniseti launched a pass down the middle of the field that an Alta defender slightly deflected.
But Grant's Warren, running in full stride, somehow got the handle on it and scored the touchdown with 14 seconds to play.
Other than that play and Butler's touchdown run the Hawks defense kept the Pacers in check.
Grant's Dejon Jackson led the defense with two fumble recoveries and an interception.
Call The Bee's Bill Paterson, (916) 326-5506.
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