The Timberjacks Complete the Season Undefeated

Hayfork's football team traveled to Tulelake Friday night for the Division VI  - 8 Man Northern Section Championship game and came away with a 36-14 victory. Tulelake won the toss and deferred their choice to the second half, so Hayfork took the opening kickoff. The Timberjacks had a long drive that ate up over six minutes of the first quarter and finished the drive with a 4th down, two yard touchdown run by Anthony Bonelli.  Devin Nanez ran in the two point conversion, and the Timberjacks led 8-0. Nanez converted a successful onsides kick for Hayfork, and it was recovered by Levi Cavalli at midfield. Again, the Timberjacks moved the ball, but the drive stalled at the Tulelake 36 yard line.  Faced with a 4th and 2, Cavalli tried to run a bootleg to the right, but there was no opening, so he improvised and fired a 36 yard touchdown pass to Evan Pickett, catching the Honker defenders off guard as they all played the run. Cavalli ran in the two point conversion and the score was 16-0.  After the next Hayfork kickoff, Tulelake moved the ball and picked up a couple of first downs. However, the Honkers' drive stalled and they threw an incomplete pass on 4th and 5.  Hayfork had the ball again and finished out the first quarter. The drive continued in the second quarter and Hayfork had the ball inside the Tulelake 30 yard line, looking to increase their lead but Cavalli came up a foot short on a 4th and 8 picking up seven yards. Tulelake looked to have momentum. That momentum was short-lived, as a Tulelake running back was trying to pick up extra yardage at the end of a run, Devin Nanez stripped the ball, and raced up the sideline untouched for a defensive touchdown. It caught Tulelake by surprise, and Hayfork had a comfortable 22-0 lead. Tulelake came back quickly on special teams as they returned the Hayfork kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and with the two point conversion, the Timberjacks' lead was cut to 22-8. Hayfork was able to put together another long drive, looking to increase their lead but a Timberjack fumble inside the Tulelake 20 yard line cut the drive short. Tulelake scored a touchdown a few plays later on a long run, but Cavalli was hit in the back by a Tulelake blocker around the 10 yard line  during the play and the touchdown was negated. Tulelake took over at the Hayfork 20 yard line. On 3rd down, Tulelake attempted to run a counter to the left, Evan Pickett took on the blockers, and Anthony Bonelli came in and stripped the ball as Levi Cavalli pounced on the ball. Hayfork ran out the clock to end the first half, and Timberjacks held onto a 22-8 lead. 

Tulelake took the 2nd half kickoff, and marched downfield on successful run plays, finishing off a long drive with a 1 yard touchdown run and the lead was cut to 22-14. Hayfork needed a score and the Timberjack offense took control of the game. A long drive that took up most of the third quarter ended with a one yard touchdown run by Levi Cavalli on 3rd and Goal. The Hayfork lead was now 28-14.  The Timberjack defense then stepped up. Aoden Colorado had two sacks and Hayfork's defense pushed Tulelake back 25 yards. The Honkers had to punt, and the Timberjack offense had the ball again. Hayfork marched quickly and finished off the drive with a Bonelli two yard touchdown run. Cavalli ran in the two point conversion and with six minutes left in regulation, Hayfork had a 36-14 lead.    The Timberjack defense again shut down the Honkers' offense as Tulelake ran four plays and did not pick up any yardage.   Hayfork tried to run the clock out, but threw an interception on a 4th and 8. Tulelake ran back the interception to the Hayfork 35 yard line. The Timberjack defense held strong, and did not allow Tulelake to score. The clock expired on the final desperation 4th down throw that fell incomplete and Hayfork won their first section championship in 13 years.

Hayfork ran a balanced attack on offense with three backs sharing the workload. Devin Nanez had 109 yards on 19 carries. Anthony Bonelli had 92 yards on 22 carries, and Levi Cavalli had 95 yards on 23 carries. Cavalli also had the 36 yard touchdown pass to Evan Pickett, so the Timberjacks had well over 300 yards of total offense. On defense, Hayfork only gave up one Tulelake score, with the other coming on the kickoff return in the second quarter. Nanez had 8 tackles (5 solo) with a forced fumble, recovery and defensive touchdown. Cavalli had 7 tackles (6 solo) and a fumble recovery. Aidan Lorton had 8 tackles (2 solo) and two sacks. Bonelli had 5 tackles (4 solo) and a forced fumble.  Aoden Colorado had two sacks, and Hayden Trossauer also had a sack. This championship was the final result of all of the hard work and sacrifice that these young men made this year. I want to recognize our two assistant coaches, Scott Cavalli, and Kyle Treece. Coach Cavalli called the offense and did a tremendous job. Coach Treece helped in all three phases, (offense, defense and special teams), and provided energy that we needed. I also want to thank our Timberjack fans. We had a huge Hayfork crowd supporting us on a cold Tulelake night, and I want to personally thank everyone who made the trip. We will only be losing one senior, and we will begin next season with a 13 game winning streak. I appreciate everyone's support this season. Our football program definitely has a bright future.