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Run game helps power top-ranked Hockinson beat Woodland

Hawks improve to 5-0 with 42-27 win

By Meg Wochnick, Columbian staff writer
Published: September 28, 2018, 11:32pm
7 Photos
Hockinson coach Rick Steele celebrates the win over Woodland with his team after Friday night's game in Hockinson on Sept. 28, 2018. Hockinson won 42-27.
Hockinson coach Rick Steele celebrates the win over Woodland with his team after Friday night's game in Hockinson on Sept. 28, 2018. Hockinson won 42-27. (Alisha Jucevic/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

HOCKINSON — Think the pass-happy Hockinson football team are just that — all pass, all the time?

Think again.

One dimension is out the window for Class 2A’s top-ranked team, as the Hawks displayed their run game to season-highs in rushing yards to remain unbeaten for a 42-27 Homecoming victory over Woodland on Friday.

The Hawks (5-0) led by as many as three touchdowns twice, scored 28 straight points at one stretch, and had season-highs in rushing yards and total carries, paced by quarterback Levi Crum’s team-best 135 on the ground. The junior also had his third 300-plus passing game and threw four touchdown passes as the Hawks pushed their winning streak to 19 games.

With the anticipated attention drawn to the outside receivers coupled with the strong Woodland secondary, Hockinson went to the ground.

18 Photos
The Hockinson High School marching band plays music before Friday night's game against Woodland in Hockinson on Sept. 28, 2018.
Woodland vs. Hockinson Football Photo Gallery

“That definitely was the plan of attack,” Crum said of the team’s ground game. “We knew there would be a bunch of attention out there. The last couple weeks, we haven’t run the ball too well and we had to bring it tonight. And it was a big part of our success.”

In all, five Hawks were ball-carriers, led by Crum, who had six carries of his 13 carries for better than 10 yards. He also had a 19-yard touchdown run.

In fact, Friday’s showcase 2A Greater St. Helens League game between the league’s lone unbeatens at 4-0 was an-almost carbon-copy footprint from last year’s result in Woodland when Hockinson came away with a 49-27 road win on its way to an undefeated season.

Last season, then-quarterback Canon Racanelli went off for 107 yards run. It was Crum’s turn Friday to have a breakout rushing game.

For the second straight year, Woodland scored 27 points on a Hockinson defense that up until Friday hadn’t allowed more than two touchdowns. The Beavers entered the day with the program’s third 4-0 start since 2009 behind an experienced offensive line, a deep receiving corp and secondary, and a four-year starter who rarely — if ever — leaves the field.

That’s senior Tyler Flanagan, the dynamic, shifty, speedy player whose made the transition to quarterback now as a senior. He added to his Southwest Washington-leading rushing total (891 yards) and total touchdowns (15) after amassing a game-high 185 yards rushing and two TDs. He also threw for two touchdowns.

In fact, his 65-yard touchdown run on the first play of Woodland’s second drive is what gave the Beavers (4-1, 2-1) a 13-7 lead. He also orchestrated a nearly 5-minute scoring drive in the game’s opening possession, which ended with his 12-yard touchdown run.

That’s when Hockinson (5-0, 3-0) let loose.

Peyton Brammer (104 yards, six catches) and Sawyer Racanelli (140 yards, eight catches) had all four touchdown receptions from Crum that led to 28 straight points spanning the second and third quarters. After an interception, Hockinson went four plays and 57 yards for Racanelli’s second touchdown for the team’s largest lead at 35-13.

Despite the loss, Flanagan was pleased with the execution.

“We had some things working for us,” he said. There’s a lot of good things we can take away.”

Flanagan did all he could for the Beavers. He also finished 15 of 26 passing with two touchdown passes to Kenyon Guy, and he ran the ball 21 times. All but one of the remaining five carries by the Beavers were for no gain or negative yardage.

With three league games remaining for both teams, the 2A GSHL playoff race is now tighter than originally anticipated. District playoff allocations were just released by the WIAA, and the league advances only three teams to the postseason unlike four teams in previous years.

Flanagan and the Beavers know one loss isn’t a lost cause, but they also know there’s not much room for error moving forward with three games left.

“We need to stay healthy, stay sharp and keep at it,” Flanagan said. “There’s a lot of good teams in the league and we definitely need to execute every week. We can’t take anyone lightly.”

HOCKINSON 42, WOODLAND 27

Wood 13 0 8 6 – 27

Hock 7 14 14 7 – 42

First quarter

W — Tyler Flanagan 12 run (kick failed)

H — Peyton Brammer 26 pass from Levi Crum (Nick Charles kick)

W — Flanagan 65 run (Emmanual Cruz kick)

Second quarter

H — Crum 19 run (Charles kick)

H — Racanelli 2 run (Charles kick)

Third quarter

H — Brammer 27 pass from Crum (Charles kick)

H — Racanelli 4 pass from Crum (Charles kick)

W — Kenyon Guy 8 pass from Flanagan (Elijah Schultz pass from Flanagan)

Fourth quarter

H — Racanelli 26 pass from Crum (Charles kick)

W — Guy 12 pass from Flanagan (conversion fails)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Hockinson — Levi Crum 13-135, Jonathan Domingos 1-2 Sawyer Racanelli 6-19, Joe Brennan 5-11, Cody Wheeler 3-14; Woodland — Tyler Flanagan 21-185, Reid Hope 3-2, Wyatt Wooden 1-(minus-6), Team 1-(minus-14).

PASSING: Hockinson — Levi Crum 25-35-0-329; Woodland — Tyler Flanagan 15-26-2-168.

RECEIVING: Hockinson — Peyton Brammer 6-104, Sawyer Racanelli 8-140, Aidan Mallory 2-11, Nick Fritchl 4-49, Cody Wheeler 1-7, Jeremiah Faulstick 3-15, Wyatt Jones 1-3; Woodland — Reid Hope 3-18, Alex Bishop 2-12, Wyatt Wooden 2-45, Christian Yager 6-65, Kenyon Guy 4-28.

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