Colusa 35 – Durham 0
A blowout win over Durham last Friday night marked the third shutout this season for Colusa and should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that the RedHawks are one of the favorites in the chase for the Northern Section Division IV crown.
And while the defense has been exceptional, the offense has more than done its part, and did so again by putting 21 points on the board in the first quarter against the Trojans.
Junior quarterback Bo Coronado, quickly establishing himself as one of the section’s bests, connected twice with fellow junior Sutter Moss for touchdowns of 25 and 85 yards in the first quarter to get Colusa off to a fast start.
Both Coronado and Moss have been putting up big numbers for the RedHawks, bringing another dimension to the offense.
Coronado finished the night 12 of 19 for 232 yards and three touchdowns and, according to head coach Mikey Badaluco, is doing an exceptional job of hitting his receivers in stride.
For his part, Moss hauled in four passes for 130 yards and two scores and is proving he is a handful with the ball in his hands.
Isaiah Travis, another junior, also got into the act with a 13-yard touchdown reception on a night where he caught three balls for 41 yards.
Shouldering the load in the run game was still another junior in Aiden Selover, who gained 91 yards on 21 carries and found the end zone twice.
Spearheading the RedHawk defense was senior Dominic Salazar, who finished with eight tackles and an interception, along with fellow senior Julian Velasquez who made six tackles.
Travis also made his presence felt with a sack and a fumble recovery, as did senior Niko Silvas who had a sack and four tackles.
Badaluco also liked what he saw from his defense which he said “never had to run a play in the red zone” against the Trojans.
With the 7-0 start, the RedHawks have matched a program mark that only the 1937, 1970, and 1972 Colusa teams have previously achieved.
The RedHawks look to keep their streak alive this Friday in a homecoming match up against Live Oak, a team that has lost its last four games.
Maxwell 56 – Etna 16
A 320 mile round trip to Etna last Friday night proved well worth it for Maxwell as the Panthers played what head coach Lane Davis said might be their most complete performance of the season by drubbing the Lions in a Cascade Valley League match up.
“Everyone played so well, I’m extremely proud of them,” said Davis. “They gang tackled on defense, overcame some adversity in the form of penalties, and never gave up on anything.”
Dillon Dry had another big night for the offense, completing 10 of 11 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 84 yards and three more scores.
Two of Dry’s favorite targets of the night were Rudi Gonzalez and Robert Waite, with Gonzalez hauling in five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, while Waite caught three balls for 98 yards, including a 35 yarder for a touchdown.
Berto Lara also turned in a solid performance carrying nine times for 63 yards and scored on a 40-yard run in which he left a string of would-be tacklers in his wake.
Better known for his play on the line, Cale Kuska got a chance to carry the ball and made the most of it by finding the end zone from four yards out.
Defensively, Kuska remained a disruptive force, dominating the line of scrimmage and intercepted a pass to boot.
In like manner, Waite intercepted a pass and Lara had a team-high seven tackles.
Riding a three game win streak, the Panthers (4-3, 3-2) will face a big test Friday night when they make the trip to McArthur to take on unbeaten Fall River, the first place team in the CVL.
Pierce 20 – Live Oak 8
Playing for the first time this season without its offensive leader, running back Manuel Lopez, Pierce did some experimenting on offense, but still managed to come away with a comfortable win on the road in a Sacramento Valley League contest.
David Aguirre led the ground attack, rushing seven times for 120 yards that included a 72-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the evening.
Quarterback Drew Burnum tossed two touchdown passes, one to Sebastian Ambriz and another to Roberto Ramirez.
Leading the Bear defensive effort was Luke Myers, who finished with 10 tackles and a sack, Joey Saavedra, who made eight tackles, along with Ramirez with six tackles and a sack.
In assessing his team’s performance against the Lions, head coach Anthony Tapia was pleased with the overall effort, saying “It was a pretty good experience in our first game without Manny. We made some mistakes, but I am proud of the team for grinding it out.”
Pierce (4-3, 1-1) has a tall order this Friday when it welcomes powerhouse East Nicolaus, unbeaten in the SVL this season, to Gregg LeMaster Field. ■