Olympus running back Easton Zito rushed 24 times for 135 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Titans beat Viewmont 34-21 in Region 6 play on Friday, Oct. 2.

The Deseret News named Zito's outing one of the top 20 individual performances in Utah high school football for Week 8. He was the lone Class 5A running back on the list, with one touchdown rushing and one receiving.

The win moved Olympus to 4-4 overall and 2-1 in Region 6. MaxPreps ranks the Titans No. 25 in Utah and No. 9 in Class 5A, placing them third in the region standings. Viewmont dropped to 3-5.

The result caps a turnaround stretch for the Granite School District program. Olympus lost 34 players to graduation before this season, including 5A All-State First Team linebacker Adam Bywater. First-year head coach Casey Evans, an Olympus alum, took over a roster that needed rebuilding from the ground up.

Evans set the tone early. After the Titans opened with a 49-14 rout of Cedar Valley on Aug. 14, he told the Cottonwood Heights-Holladay Times in a September preview, "We had a fast start to the game and we never slowed down."

The season has not been that simple. Olympus entered Week 8 at 3-4 after a difficult nonregion schedule. But Zito's performance against Viewmont pushed the Titans to the .500 mark for the first time since the opener, with region play offering a clearer path forward.

Reaching .500 matters for the playoff picture. The UHSAA has not yet published Class 5A brackets, but a winning record in region play would strengthen the Titans' position when seedings are set.

Olympus hosts Woods Cross (3-5) on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. in the Titans' next Region 6 game.