T-Wolves ride big horse Hanna to title

MOSCOW, Idaho – Make no mistake about it, Brandon Hanna is a linebacker – and a damn good one.

But Friday night the story was Brandon Hanna the running back.

The Oregon-bound linebacker pounded Highline for 121 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries as the Timberwolves won the IHSAA/United Dairymen of Idaho State 5A football championship game by demolishing the Rams 35-6 at the Kibbie Dome.

“I’d still have to say I’m a linebacker,” the 6-foot-3, 220-pound bruiser said. “I don’t think I made as much of a difference at ‘backer this game. But it sure was fun carrying the ball tonight.”

Coming into the game, Hanna had 26 carries for 159 yards this season with a high of eight carries for 50 yards in the 31-7 semifinal win over Meridian last week.

“We knew all along what we had but you can’t beat a horse like that to death so we haven’t used him that much until the playoffs,” said LC coach Van Troxel, who called Hanna one of the best linebackers in the state. “He’s got seven, eight, nine carries the last three games. He’s been a horse for us but he’s the one who keys our defense.”

It was obvious early he was going to be a big part of the offense.

After Highline opened the scoring late in the first quarter, the T-Wolves answered with a 72-yard drive. The key play was Hanna breaking into the secondary and rumbling 30 yards to the 8 on a fourth-and-1 play.

All doubt was erased in the third quarter. After Wilson Bowlby’s kickoff return to midfield, a 14-yard run by B.J. Palmer and a penalty, Hanna carried four straight times, his 27-yarder leading to his 3-yard touchdown.

“I knew we’d be doing more two-back stuff,” said Hanna, who cramped up a little bit in the second half. “I thought the majority of it I would be blocking. The offensive line opened up everything. They were just huge holes.”

The dominance was reaffirmed on the next drive, eight runs for 50 yards with Hanna covering the last 4.

“He was unbelievable, he and our O-line,” quarterback Garren Hammons said. “We just had such a size advantage. But the defense basically won the game for us and Brandon is a big part of that.”

“That was the best time of my life,” 290-pound Oregon-bound lineman Brandon York said of blocking for his best friend. “We kept telling the coaches to pound it up the middle. That first series in the third quarter, we always say that is the biggest series in the game. The first series we drove the entire field up the middle, that’s what we had to do.

“We were running base, straight-up-the-middle offense, the same thing Lake City has been running for 13 years.”

If Hanna wasn’t his usual dominating self on defense, his teammates were. Highland couldn’t run the ball at all and never got its passing game in rhythm.

The Rams had 238 yards of total offense but just 67 on the ground – and most of that was in the fourth quarter – despite having a trio of 260-pound-plus linemen. Meanwhile, quarterback Mike Davenport was just 15 of 31 for 159 yards, 53 in the second half, with two fourth-quarter interceptions that clinched the game.

Byron Hout returned the first one 60 yards for a touchdown. Chris Bobbitt’s pick set up Hanna’s third touchdown.

“It’s unbelievable,” Hanna said. “It still hasn’t hit me yet.”