Hockinson pours it on Liberty for 42-21 victory

BATTLE GROUND — The forecast for Saturday night called for heavy rain and wind.

But when that weather never arrived, the Hockinson Hawks decided to pour it on Liberty of Issaquah.

Canon Racanelli passed for 281 yards and three touchdowns, and sophomore Bailey Jones had three caches for 104 yards and two TDs as the Hawks rolled over the Patriots 42-21 in a Class 2A state first-round game at District Stadium.

“We were out here practicing a couple of nights this week, and it was pouring,” Hockinson coach Rick Steele said. “And we told the kids ‘Perfect. This is what it’s going to be like on Saturday.’ We were talking about how we were going to deal the weather. But then as the game got closer, the forecast got better and better.”

But with the arsenal that they can throw at a team, the Hawks were confident they could move the ball whether threw the air or on the ground.

“I think we’re just more balanced now than we were last year,” said senior Jared Oja, who rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown. “We’ve got so many targets – Kedrick (Johnson) and Cameron (Loos). Bailey Jones stepped up and had a great game. We have just so many weapons that you can’t cover them all.”

The Hawks had six different players touch the ball on their opening 96-yard drive that gave them a 7-0 lead.

After Liberty tied the game later in the first quarter, the Hawks took control in the second.

Oja’s 6-yard TD run put Hockinson up 14-7 with 5:51 left in the second quarter.

Oja came up with an interception and a 20-yard return on Liberty’s next possession. That set up Jones’ 33-yard TD reception with 2:40 left in the half to make it 21-7 for Hockinson.

“We took a little while to get going,” Steele said. “But once we did, we took off.”

It didn’t stop in the second half.

Steven Carlisle broke free for a 61-yard touchdown run and Jones had a 14-yard TD reception to make it 35-7 in the third quarter.

”Bailey Jones,” Steele said. “Here’s a kid we put in to spell Kedrick (Johnson) and he goes and scores two touchdowns. For a sophomore, he had the night of his career.”

Mitch Lines’ 10-yard TD catch to open the fourth quarter made it 42-7.

Next up for the Hawks (11-0) is defending state champion Sedro-Woolley.

“You know last year when we went into that quarterfinal game (against Lynden), our kids’ eyes were wide open,” Steele said. “Playing in that big stadium against a big opponent. But now, this team is playoff-tested. We’re ready to go.”

HOCKINSON 42, LIBERTY 14
Liberty 7 0 0 14–21
Hock. 7 14 14 7–42
First quarter
H — Canon Racanelli 1 run (Tommy Brennan kick)
L — Mikey Walter 5 pass from Austis Regis (Tyler Wray kick)
Second quarter
H — Jared Oja 6 run (Brennan kick)
H — Bailey Jones 33 pass from Racanelli (Brennan kick)
Third quarter
H — Steven Carlisle 61 run (Brennan kick)
H — Jones 14 pass from Racanelli (Brennan kick)
Fourth quarter
H — Mitch Lines 10 pass from Racanelli (Brennan kick)
L — Joseph Cunningham 2 run (Wray kick)
L — Max Batali 4 run (Wray kick)
Individual statistics
RUSHING — Liberty: Batali 16-69, Regis 11-48, Preston Mitsui 5-24, Cunningham 8-21, Dulin Hayden 2-7, Ian Briggs 1-9, Brandon Powers 1-2. Hockinson: Oja 12-48, Steven Carlisle 3-73, Matt Henry 3-30, Kedrick Johnson 3-18, Gage Seekins 2-16, Ganon Kytola 2-7, Racanelli 2-(-3), Lines 1-1, Jones 1-0,
PASSING — Liberty: Regis 9-15-1-131; Racanelli 17-24-0-281.
RECEIVING — Liberty: Isaiah Owens 1-63, Sean Bates 2-35, Walter 2-21, Cunningham 2-5, Batali 1-9, Powers 1-(-2); Hockinson: Jones 3-104, Johnson 8-94, Cameron Loos 3-41, Lines 2-37, Carlisle 1-5.