Hockinson wins thriller in 2A football quarterfinals

BATTLE GROUND – Down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Hockinson’s two-year reign atop Class 2A football faced its biggest threat on Saturday.

Hockinson didn’t blink.

After all, adversity has become a familiar companion to the two-time defending state champions.

In a season that has seen Hockinson lose two of the state’s top receivers to injury, the Hawks can still make a crucial play when they need to.

Hockinson needed every one of those plays to beat Lakewood 29-28 in the state quarterfinals on Saturday at District Stadium.

Hockinson (11-1) took the lead on a two-point conversion with 2:42 left. After Cody Wheeler’s touchdown run from 4 yards, quarterback Levi Crum hit Liam Mallory to give the Hawks their first lead.

Andre Northrup’s interception ended the final drive for No. 5 seeded Lakewood (9-2). That sent the No. 4 seeded Hawks to the semifinals next Saturday against No. 1 Tumwater.

Before this season started, Hockinson learned it would be without University of Washington commit Sawyer Racanelli due to a knee injury. Then, the Hawks lost fellow star receiver Peyton Brammer to a knee injury in the team’s next-to-last regular season game.

Perhaps, those steady doses of adversity inoculated the Hawks to the pressure they faced Saturday.

“It seems like there has been adversity every single week,” senior quarterback Levi Crum said. “Our football team has no other option but to keep going. Kids stepped up and made plays when they needed to. That’s the program our coaching staff and players have built over the last decade.”

This time, it wasn’t the heroics of a Racanelli or a Brammer that delivered Hockinson another postseason win.

It was players like Wheeler, a sophomore who accounted for all three of Hockinson’s touchdowns in the second half.

It was players like Northrup, a sophomore safety who stepped into a defensive backfield void left by the losses of Racanelli and Brammer.

It was players like Daniel Thompson, a 5-foot-6 darting running back who had 124 yards on 16 carries, including a 40-yarder to clinch the win with under a minute to play.

“We’ve lost some big-time players, but all that has done is made our team tighter,” Hockinson coach Rick Steele said. “These kids play for each other. They have each other’s back. But we’ll take them. Hey, we’re the no-name team now. We don’t have any big names. That’s OK, we’ll win all this stuff as a team.”

The game couldn’t have started worse for Hockinson. On its first play from scrimmage, Carson Chrisman jumped a short route for an interception, which he returned 20 yards for a touchdown.

Hockinson responded with a scoring drive capped by Crum’s 20-yard touchdown run.

But turnovers would hinder the Hawks in the first half. Hockinson’s third turnover, an interception at its own 20, set up a Lakewood touchdown pass the very next play for a 14-7 lead.

Lakewood, which is north of Marysville, then took a 21-7 lead with less than a minute to go in the half.

Hockinson needed to regroup.

“We talked about it at halftime, how many times in the past have we been down in big playoff games,” Steele said. “We told those kids, we’ve got heart. Sometimes bad things happen in the first half, but we keep playing. I’ll tell you, that’s what these kids do. I’ve never seen them quit, and I’m so proud of them.”

The Hawks opened the second half with a crisp touchdown drive, capped by Wheeler’s 2-yard run. But Lakewood answered on the next drive to open a 28-14 lead.

That’s when Hockinson’s defense made the plays it needed. The Hawks recovered a fumble at Lakewood’s 35, then scored four plays later on a 1-yard run by Wheeler. That cut Lakewood’s lead to 28-21 with 9:58 to play.

Hockinson then recovered another fumble, with Wheeler falling on the ball at Lakewood’s 35.

Hockinson converted a fourth and 10 when Crum found Jeremiah Faulstick for a 20-yard pass. The Hawks would later convert on fourth and 2, setting up Wheeler’s third touchdown.

For Steele, there was never a doubt whether to go for two and the lead.

“I will bet on my kids any day of the week,” he said.

With under 1:30 left, Lakewood drove to near midfield. But Northrup came through with an interception at the 20 yard line to end the Cougars’ hopes.

“I was looking at the quarterback’s eyes,” Northrup said. “He looked downfield and threw it over the top. I came up, jumped in front of him and took it down.”

Most games over the past three seasons, Hockinson has been the favorite. The Hawks won’t be when they face unbeaten Tumwater in the semifinals.

But that’s not something that worries this year’s team, along with its old friend adversity.

“Being an underdog is something our team feeds on,” Crum said. “You can see the kids who want to play football and win football games. They might not be big-name players, but that’s what makes the Hockinson program.”

HOCKINSON 29, LAKEWOOD 28

Lakewood 7 14 7 0 – 28

Hockinson 7 0 7 15 – 29

First quarter

L – Carson Chrisman 20 interception return (Alan Sepulveda kick)

H – Levi Crum 20 run (John Charles kick)

Second quarter

L – Morgan Stacey 20 pass from Jared Taylor (Sepulveda kick)

L – Landen Pruitt 3 run (Sepulveda kick)

Third quarter

H – Cody Wheeler 2 run (Charles kick)

L – Malik Dotoson 3 run (Sepulveda kick)

Fourth quarter

H – Wheeler 1 run (Charles kick)

H – Wheeler 4 run (Liam Mallory pass from Crum)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Lakewood: Jared Taylor 20-92, Landen Pruitt 7-28, Malik Dotson 8-45. Hockinson: Daniel Thompson 16-124; Levi Crum 19-109; Makaio Juarez 1-1; Cody Wheeler 10-57.

PASSING – Lakewood: Jered Taylor 7-11-2-87. Hockinson: Levi Crum 5-14-2-67.

RECEIVING – Lakewood: Landen Pruitt 4-53, Morgan Stacey 1-20, Carson Chrisman 2-14. Hockinson: Liam Mallory 2-29, Jeremiah Faulstick 2-40, Makaio Juarez 1-(-2).