After not playing at all in 2020, and finishing fifth in the Sacramento Valley League standings in 2021, this season the Colusa RedHawks are hoping to reverse their fortune and challenge for a league title.
Although they haven’t topped the conference standings since 2013, the current crop of players has second year head coach Mikey Badaluco excited about what this season may bring.
“I’ve been around CHS football for eight years now, and this is the most depth at the skill positions I’ve seen,” said Badaluco. “It creates competition which is good for our guys, and we also have quite a few kids that can play multiple positions, ultimately giving us a lot of options.”
Having lost two of the team’s leaders and most productive performers in Emanuel Frias and Nick Price to graduation, this year Colusa will rely on seniors Leo Bedolla and Hayden McCarty to assume similar roles.
Bedolla has worked hard in the offseason preparing for his final season as a RedHawk and will anchor the line on both sides of the ball McCarty has done the same and will figure prominently in the backfield as well as on defense where he will start at linebacker according to Badaluco.
Colusa will run a spread offense but has added some new wrinkles that could make for some excitement as Bedolla explained.
“I’m really excited about this new offensive scheme,” Bedolla said. “We’re looking like a high speed squad this season, and are hoping to build upon what we did last year.”
Without question, the RedHawks have some athletes, starting at quarterback where junior Bo Coronado takes over having spent the summer getting up to speed.
At running back, McCarty has the most experience, having averaged nearly six yards per carry last year, but Colusa will also look to junior Aiden Selover who the staff feels has a versatility that makes him a big play threat.
“Aiden could end up playing six or seven positions for us which obviously will help us in many ways. He’s a guy that can score from anywhere on the field,” Badaluco said.
Another player to look for this season is 6’4’’ tight end Isaiah Travis, a junior who was returning from injury and stayed on the JV squad last season, but will create a difficult match up for opponents due to his size.
A fourth junior that should also figure prominently in the offense is Landon Humphrey, a varsity returner who a season ago averaged nearly 29 yards per catch, with none bigger than the 47-yard “Hail Mary,” which lifted Colusa over Corning.
Two others that the ‘Hawks will have at their disposal in the receiving corps are fellow juniors Peyton Humphrey and Luke Kalfsbeek whose length and agility make them threats as well.
Although the RedHawks outscored their opponents 276-266 in 2021, against SVL adversaries they were on the short end of a 116-205 differential.
As such, Colusa will need to shore up the defense, especially against the run, if they are going to be competitive against the likes of Pierce, Durham, Winters, and East Nicolaus.
To do so, the Hawks will not only count on the crew of Bedolla, McCarty, Selover, Travis, and Humphrey, but will also look to seniors Niko Silvas and Julian Velasquez to make significant contributions.
While adjustments to the speed and physicality of the varsity game along with a lack of experience on the line will present challenges this season, don’t count the RedHawks out.
If a favorable preseason schedule allows them to work through the growing pains, Colusa, as the dark horse in the always-tough SVL, could potentially surprise some teams. ■