A group of fourth graders from Crescent Elementary became some of the most loyal fans of the Alta High School boys basketball team this season — and when their support caught the attention of the Hawks, the high school players returned the favor.

The story, captured in a video and posted to social media, quickly went viral. Shared by the account galpractical, the clip spread on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, where it drew more than 8,000 comments and 92,000 reshares as viewers celebrated the moment between the young players and the high school team.

It started organically as the young Bantam team began showing up throughout the season.

“These little guys were coming to all the games and following our guys,” said Alta High head coach Travis Ohrn. “At first, they sat with their parents, but as the season went on, they created their own little student section and created posters and started doing cheers and rallied behind our team.”
After cheering loudly, they’d stick around after the game to interact with the players. On senior night, they met the team.

“After our last home game, we always put the tables out and pass our team pictures to all the young kids who come to get autographs,” he said.

But the support continued into the postseason.

The Bantam team followed Alta into the state tournament, attending playoff wins against Hillcrest High in Midvale and Timpview High in Provo. 

After the second-round victory, the Crecent Cubs invited Ohrn to their game on Saturday. He took the request to the team, who rallied to go support the youngsters.

With the roles reversed and Alta players in the stands, they cheered on the Bantam team. Again, the moment captured on the viral video that resonated with thousands of viewers.

For Ohrn, the experience highlighted the influence high school athletes have in their communities.

“They don’t realize the impact they have on young kids,” he said. “That’s a big thing we emphasize here. Basketball is just a tiny little thing in life and they can have a huge impact on younger kids who look up to them. I want every kid in this community to grow up wanting to play for Alta, to be a part of our school, our community, and take pride in doing that.”

Alta’s season ended in the quarterfinals of the state tournament where the Hawks fell to Bountiful High, 58-44.

“We had a lot of adversity and battled through injuries and ups and downs,” Ohrn said. “To be able to get where we did, making it back up to the University of Utah in the state tournament, is a big accomplishment. I’m super proud of our guys for fighting through that and making it up there. I’m appreciative of all our fans and want to give a shoutout to those young players who cheered us on.”