HOCKINSON — It took seven games, but something happened for the first time this season for the Hockinson football team.
It wasn’t some odd record or statistical milestone.
An opponent simply scored a touchdown.
Hockinson’s defense hasn’t just dominated, it has been nearly perfect. The Hawks outscored opponents 247-3 prior to last Friday’s 49-13 win over Washougal.
“We weren’t really mad when we got scored on,” said Austen Johnson, who plays defensive back and running back. “We’re just happy to be winning games.”
If wins make Hockinson happy, the Hawks (7-0, 4-0) will be more ecstatic than Pharrell if they can get a victory today.
That stout defense will face its toughest test in Woodland (7-0, 5-0) in a game that will likely decide the Class 2A Greater St. Helens League title. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Woodland High School.
The Beavers average 48.1 points per game. Running back Eli Whitmire seems to make a big play every time he touches the ball. He leads all area players with 16 rushing touchdowns and averages 10.8 yards per carry.
Woodland also has the area’s most efficient quarterback. Freshman Wyatt Harsh has the fourth-most passing yards (1231) despite attempting just 91 passes. No other local QB in the top eight has thrown fewer than 116 passes.
Harsh’s 17 touchdown passes are second most in Southwest Washington.
“Since the beginning of the season, everyone knew that this is the game,” said Hockinson receiver-cornerback Quentin Sills. “We never looked past an opponent. But for myself, whenever I watched film I would try to watch the team we were going to play as they played against Woodland.”
While Hockinson has yet to face an offense like Woodland this year, the Hawks will offer something Woodland hasn’t seen either. Hockinson plays an unusual 3-5 defensive alignment with three linemen and five linebackers. Most teams use either four or three linebackers.
The extra linebacker allows more options for blitzes and benefits a defense with lots of speed, which Hockinson has. Yet having one fewer lineman means the guys up front need to hold their own physically.
“When you have three kids up front that demand double-teams, it allows the linebackers to find the football,” Hockinson coach Rick Steele said. “You need to have depth. It’s a big thing to be able to rotate a lot of kids into a position.”
The unglamorous grunt work expected of the defensive linemen suits 255-pound senior Aaron Burns just fine.
“It’s up to us to fill the gaps, seal the holes and let the linebackers make a play,” Burns said. “We really don’t need the attention. I don’t care. It’s whatever we can do to help those people.”
With defenders flying around the field, the 3-5 defense need players to not get in each other’s way. Hockinson benefits from having players who grew up together, hang out together and have played in the same system for much of their football lives.
“We hang out all the time in the offseason,” linebacker Steven Carlisle said. “We know where each other is going during the play. You don’t worry about messing up because someone is going to be there for you.”
Both teams are ranked in the Associated Press Class 2A statewide poll — Hockinson is No. 3, Woodland is No. 8.
With Hockinson’s league-best defense against Woodland’s powerful offense and a league title likely on the line, Friday’s game promises to be small-school football at its best.
