Hawks will meet Hoquiam in a non-league game this week

Hockinson Hawks (7-0, 5-0 2A GSHL)

Week 1: Hockinson 42, La Center 6
Week 2: Hockinson 42, Prairie 6
Week 3: Hockinson 49, Woodland 27
Week 4: Hockinson 42, Ridgefield 15
Week 5: Hockinson 46, Mark Morris 0
Week 6: Hockinson 41, Washougal 7
Week 7: Hockinson 42, Columbia River 14
Next: vs. Hoquiam, 7 p.m. Friday at Hockinson High School

The Hawks won their fourth consecutive 2A Greater St. Helens League title, cruising past Columbia River to improve to 5-0 in league play.

Fourth-and-short just means go long!

The Hawks faced a fourth-and-2 situation in the first quarter. First downs are boring, though, right? So instead of playing it safe, quarterback Canon Racanelli threw as far as the rules allow to still get a completion.

(OK, it was only a 19-yard play, but Racanelli threw to the back of the end zone.)

Sawyer Racanelli caught the ball and tapped his toe just inside the boundary for a touchdown.

You go this way, I’ll go that way:

In the second quarter, Canon Racanelli had a long touchdown run that fooled just about everyone. The fooling was by design, too.

Every Hockinson lineman moved right, and Racanelli faked a handoff with the running back moving to his right, as well.

That left Racanelli alone to go left.

Wide receiver Peyton Brammer made a block downfield to spring Racanelli on his way to the end zone.

Defensive gems:

Noticed Kyle Brabec on a couple big plays on defense in the first half. One was a tackle for loss that started a three-and-out drive for the Chieftains. Another was chasing down a ball carrier for no gain on another drive that ended in a punt. Later, I believe I saw him get a sack.

Game-winning drive:

Hockinson pretty much won this game in the closing seconds of the first half. Columbia River had just made it a 14-point game at 28-14, hoping to get to halftime down just two scores.

The Hawks had other ideas.

Racanelli threw an 18-yard pass on the first play of the drive. Then a 10-yard pass. (By the way, Hawks, if you want me to see who caught these passes, call the plays toward the camera position. These passes were all on the other side of the field. Couldn’t see jersey numbers for those two.)

The next play was great chemistry between quarterback and receiver. Canon Racanelli had to escape some pressure. He scooted to his right, bought some time, then he signaled for his brother to go deep. Canon tossed a perfect ball to Sawyer for a 31-yard gain. It’s almost like they have done that before, you know?

Next play, a 15-yard touchdown pass to Brammer for a 35-14 lead with 27 seconds left in the half.

On the video, at least two Chieftains can be seen showing their frustration. The Chieftains had a chance there, but the Hawks regained the momentum just before the break and shut down River in the second half.

Coach Speak:

What did Rick Steele think about his team’s performance in Week 7? “Big win for us against the Chieftains. The kids played very well on both sides of the ball. We are obviously excited to win our fourth league title in a row, but we have our sights on bigger games down the road. We want to do well in the playoffs and see what and where it takes us to.”

MVP on offense: Bailey Jones. “He has been injured for the last four weeks,’’ Steele said, “and this was his first game action back from that injury. He had a very nice run for a touchdown in the third quarter. Getting him back helps with depth for our run game.”

MVP on defense: Kyle Brabec. “He was all over the field during the game,’’ Steele said. “He had three sacks and several assists on sacks. He is tough to block and plays with energy, which is big for our defense.”

Thoughts on Week 8 vs. Hoquiam: “Another step on the ladder,’’ Steele said. “Non-league game, but we want to beat this team in a bad way. They came back and beat us last year after we had an early big lead. They are tough and will be another good test for us.”