Nelsonville, OH — The Hocking College football team entered the 2019 season looking to compete with the top teams in the NJCAA and improve on a disappointing one-win season in 2018. The Hawks improved their record to 3-6, but struggled against the nations top teams like Lackawanna (ranked #2), Georgia Military College and Monroe College.
The season began with a big road upset in Buffalo, New York, against Erie Community College. This provided a spark for the team and showed that the new group of freshmen could compete at a high level.
In week two, Hocking traveled to face the Mount Union JV team in Alliance, Ohio. Hocking knew it would face a challenge, given the history and success of the Mount Union program. The Hawks started slowly and found themselves down, 15-0, in the opening quarter. However, by halftime, Hocking had outgained the Purple Raiders. In the second half, the game went back and forth. It was a one possession game heading into the fourth quarter, 28-20. The Hawks would fall short however, turning the ball over late and allowing Mount Union to seal the game at 35-20.
In game three, the Hawks made their home debut sitting with a 1-1 record. The Hawks beat Georgia Knights Prep, 27-9, behind 310 yards of offense. Tony White lll passed for 183 yards and also led the team in rushing with 66 yards.
Game four was a Homecoming battle with Haywood Academy, which turned into a record-breaking night. The Hawks started fast and furious on their way to a 66-0 shutout of the Crusaders. The 66 points are a school record for points in a game and margin of victory. The shutout was only the second in school history. The Hawks started the game with a school-record 68-yard touchdown pass. Hocking recorded 17 first downs and 357 yards of offense. The defense recorded two sacks, six tackles-for-loss, three interceptions, six forced-fumbles and recorded a defensive touchdown. Hocking moved to 3-1 and tied the best start in school history.
Following a bye week, the Hawks went to Somerville, Tennessee, and played a very tight game against Arkansas Baptist College on a neutral site. Hocking’s offense struggled to get anything going and fell 19-10 in a defensive battle. Hocking had 287 total yards and gained 15 first downs. Hocking passed for 175 yards on 13 catches and rushed for 112 yards on 38 attempts. The Hawks lost one fumble and threw two interceptions.
Game 6 was a home game against the 16th-ranked Georgia Military College Bulldogs. GMC overpowered the Hawks, gaining 512 yards on the way to a 65-9 lopsided victory. Interestingly, the Hawks led in the first quarter, 9-7, but Georgia Military gained momentum and dominated the next three quarters.
Game 7 was a 69-6 loss to the #2 Lackawanna College Falcons. The Hawks struggled to get their offense going as the Lackawanna defense, which ranks in the top five in the nation in many statistical categories, limited Hocking to 101 yards rushing and 50 yards passing. Hocking had no answer for the powerful Lackawanna offense. The win was the 19th in a row for Lackawanna. Lackawanna's defense had six interceptions, three of them resulting in touchdowns, as well as two fumble recoveries. The Falcon pass rush was stout all day, finishing with seven sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss.
After having a game against Louisburg College cancelled the following week, the Hawks traveled back to New York to face Nassau CC in game 8. The Hawks were limited to -24 yards of total offense. Hocking had 93 yards passing but that was mitigated by -117 rushing yards.
Hocking was led by Tony White lll who passed for 60 yards on 9-of-16 passing. With the 60 passing yards, Tony became the third member of Hocking’s 1,000-yard passing club.
In week 9, the Hawks ended their 2019 season with a 63-0 loss to #17 Monroe College. The Hawks finished the year with a record of 3-6 after starting 3-1. Monroe dominated most aspects of the game and did not allow Hocking to score.
Hocking couldn’t get anything going as the could only gain 212 total yards. Tony White lll had 161 yards passing on 13-of-27 attempts and one interception. As a team Hocking rushed for 51 yards on 22 carries. The Hawks were held to only nine first downs.
Hocking’s sophomore QB Tony White lll, who played his final game with the Hawks, passed for 161 yards passing on 13-of-27 with an INT and rushed for 12 yards on nine carries with a fumble. He finished with 1,156 passing yards good enough to finish second on the season passing list and became the third quarterback to pass for over 1,000 yards in a career.
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Trevor Stephens
Hocking College Athletics
