Football Preview: Tulelake Honkers vs. Hayfork Timberjacks
Two dominant signal callers in Xavier Silva and Levi Cavalli are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Tulelake Honkers will take on the Hayfork Timberjacks at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Tulelake sitting on five straight victories and Hayfork on 22 (dating back to last season).
Tulelake's defense heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Chester, posting a 58-0 win. Considering the Honkers have won seven matchups by more than 28 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Tulelake's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Silva, who rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries, and also threw for 93 yards and a touchdown while completing 77.8% of his passes. Another rusher making a difference was Max Robison, who rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries.
Tulelake was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 410 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 200 rushing yards in eight consecutive games.
Tulelake didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Angel Sandoval.
Meanwhile, Hayfork put their dominant defense on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Friday. They claimed a resounding 62-0 victory over Plumas Charter. The Timberjacks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by 34 points or more this season.
Cavalli was his usual excellent self, rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns. His longest rush was for an incredible 91 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Tatem Wiley, who rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries.
Hayfork wouldn't let Plumas Charter keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force four fumbles. Anthony Bonelli led the group effort, picking up two of those forced fumbles all by himself. Cavalli is also crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 116 every time he's taken the field this season.
Tulelake's win bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Hayfork, they pushed their record up to 9-0 with the victory, which was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Tulelake has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 333.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hayfork struggles in that department as they've been averaging 409.9. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Tulelake might still be hurting after the 36-14 defeat they got from Hayfork in their previous meeting back in November of 2023. Can Tulelake avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
