Woodcreek seniors unstoppable in Junction Bowl rout of Roseville. Next stop: Playoffs

The Woodcreek Timberwolves are Junction Bowl champions yet again.

Their 33-8 win over crosstown rival Roseville High School on Friday night in Placer County extended their winning streak to five heading into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, and their 9-1 regular season record is the best in program history. The school opened in Roseville in 1994.

The Timberwolves were unstoppable on Senior Night with the new aim of reaching their first section final. Woodcreek will be in the Division III bracket and looms as a real threat. The lone Roseville touchdown came in the final seconds of a game that otherwise felt like a shutout.

The Woodcreek offense was led by 6-foot-3 senior quarterback Austin Katapodis and the defense by senior lineman Isaac Earls. Katapodis contributed to two of the five touchdowns with a 52-yard launch to senior receiver Joey Nielsen and a 41-yard rush all on his own in the second half. The first touchdown of the night came on the opening drive, a 54-yard run by senior Hakeem Anderson, followed by a 27-yard scoring run by junior Brody Kupp and a 1-yard rush late in the game by senior Dylan Perrault.

Woodcreek had a lot of seniors to honor — 24. Last year’s class had 26 seniors. Senior lineman Isaac Earls had four sacks. There was just no way around the line for Tigers quarterback Mason Susnara. Seven of the eight Roseville drives ended in punts or a turnover on downs. Timberwolves stars credited the team’s close bond for their recent success.

“Our team’s played so well because of our morale,” Earls said. “We’re all super close to each other and just want it more than others. We want to win. That’s what I think brings us together and can get us over the finish line.”

Katapodis offered a similar statement.

“It’s this team’s chemistry,” Katapodis said. “We work together every week. We work so hard. Coming out here weight lifting, training and just coming together with the same goal of wanting to win. I think that’s why we’ve been so good.”

Katapodis described how the team is always together, even taking a trip to Tahoe over the summer. He said the Timberwolves have more in mind than winning just the last three Junction Bowl trophies.

“We want to go all the way,” Katapodis said. “That’s our goal. We had a great off-season. We’ve had a great season, but we need to focus now and get some wins in these playoffs and take it all the way.”

Earls attributed the team’s chemistry and their wins to the coaching staff led by head coach Bradley Hunkins. Hunkins calls offensive plays and brings the team into a huddle after each possession to recap their successes and mistakes on that drive.

“It comes from the coaches,” Earls said. “They just tell us to focus on each individual week. Get a win this week and then the next one next week. They just keep us focusing on each week to get us over the edge and get wins like these.”

The rivalry led to a sold-out crowd with both stands packed. Roseville fans even brought signs that read, “This is our town.” On this night, the city belonged to Woodcreek.

Roseville’s touchdown came with one second remaining on a 21-yard pass from Susnara to senior receiver Joel Bradley. Roseville at 7-3 will also be in the D-III playoffs.

Hunkins, the Timberwolves coach, has deep roots in Roseville even once coaching as an assistant at Roseville High. He became Woodcreek’s head coach in 2015, a move he jokingly called “blasphemous.”

Although not an alum himself, Hunkins’ parents Scott and Kelly Hunkins both went to Roseville with his mother once serving as student-body president.

Woodcreek’s only blemish was a 20-15 loss to Inderkum, a D-I program that is 9-1 and won the Capital Valley Conference with a perfect record.

“We’ve played well this season,” Hunkins said. “I would agree that chemistry is a big reason why. We work on that stuff a lot. People don’t understand that football is a year-round sport. It’s not just about plays, you guys are wearing the same jersey and have to believe in each other. That is so important.”

The coach added: “Guys like Austin and James are central in bringing the team together. I tell them that you’re going to make sure that the leadership and direction is right because a player-led team is really powerful.”

Hunkins isn’t afraid to display his excitement and emotion during a game. It adds to the culture of the team. Hunkins will even jump into the crowd to celebrate with his players. Now it’s the playoffs.

“At this point, every team is going to be a really good football team,” Hunkins said. “We got to remember the basics, give it our all, because there’s no pushovers in playoff football.”

This story was originally published October 28, 2023 at 12:58 AM.