It was a strong showing for Colusa County as 18 players were recognized for their accomplishments on the football field this year.
Headlining the postseason accolades are four standouts including Colusa’s Dominic Salazar and Landon Humphrey, Maxwell’s Cale Kuska, and Pierce’s Luke Myers, each of whom received All-Section honors in addition to being selected to their subsequent All-League squads.
After missing the first four games, Salazar took the field with a vengeance for the NSCIF Division IV champion RedHawks, ultimately earning him a spot on the All-Northern Section second team defense. In his final season for Colusa, Salazar averaged 13.3 tackles per game, and his 106 on the year was seventh in the Northern Section.
Another major contributor to the RedHawks’ success was Humphrey, a clutch receiver who was the RedHawks’ go-to guy in critical situations. Tough and athletic, the junior led his team in receptions with 45, while his 669 yards was good for fifth in the section, and secured his place on the All-Section second team offense.
At 6’3” and 270 pounds, Kuska was hard to contain as he opened holes for the Panthers’ offense then also wreaked havoc on the line defensively. Named the Most Valuable Lineman in the nine-team Cascade Valley League, the senior was deservedly selected second team All-Northern Section on offense.
For NSCIF Division IV runner-up Pierce, senior linebacker Luke Myers was a consistent contributor to a Bear defense that held the likes of Colusa, East Nicolaus, and Orland in check. Myers merited a position on the third team All-Northern Section defense having averaged over eight tackles a game and recorded four sacks based on statistics from only seven of the Bears’ 13 games.
While the four All-Section selections were critical to their respective teams, All-League selections recognized others that also made significant contributions as well.
Colusa – Sacramento Valley League
Despite a second-place finish in league play, the RedHawks (10-3) went on to claim their first section title in 32 years, putting up big numbers as they outscored their opponents 336-155 and wracked up 3618 total yards.
In addition to Salazar and Humphrey, four of their teammates garnered All-SVL honors for their roles in the process.
Leading the way on offense was junior quarterback Bo Coronado, who in his debut varsity season finished as the section’s second leading passer. Coronado completed 130 of 217 attempts for 2079 yards, and 24 touchdowns to finish with an overall QB rating of 111.5.
Aiden Selover was Colusa’s top rusher logging 102 carries for 625 yards, or 6.1 yards per clip. Furthermore the junior scored nine times and eclipsed the 100-yard mark twice this season.
Newcomer Sutter Moss, another junior, made his presence felt over eight games with an average of 22.4 yards per catch and five touchdowns. He also served as the punter, where he netted over 50 yards per attempt.
Anchoring the RedHawk line was senior Leo Bedolla, who rounded out Colusa’s All-SVL picks.
Pierce – Sacramento Valley League
Facing a challenging schedule and plagued by significant injuries to some of their key players, the Bears (7-6) fought their way back to the section title game, where they came up just short to the RedHawks.
Still, after finishing fourth in the SVL, Pierce (7-6) had Myers, along with Manuel Lopez, Tony Colsa, and David Aguirre each receive All-SVL nods.
In his final season for the Bears, Lopez rushed 144 times for 954 yards and 10 touchdowns, although injury kept him out of two games entirely and limited his number of carries over the last four contests.
Colsa, a senior, played on both sides of the ball, serving as the center and nose guard for the Bears.
Last but not least, Aguirre, a junior, showed off his speed out of the backfield averaging 8.7 yards per carry and scoring five touchdowns.
Maxwell – Cascade Valley League
The Panthers (6-6) continued to improve in 2022, making it to the semifinal round of the NSCIF Division V playoffs after a fifth place finish in the CVL.
Joining Kuska on the All-CVL team were seniors Dillon Dry, Berto Lara and Isaac Iniguez along with junior Rudi Gonzalez.
Dry, Maxwell’s dual threat quarterback completed 109 passes for 1667 yards, good for fifth in the section, and tossed 10 touchdowns in addition to rushing for 1169 yards and 20 touchdowns.
In the backfield, Lara, despite missing two games, cracked the 1000-yard mark, had six 100-yard plus games and scored 11 touchdowns to round out his career for the Panthers.
Playing both ways on the line Iniguez made three interceptions, although no other defensive statistics were available.
Gonzalez made 43 receptions for 623 yards, which was seventh in the Northern Section, and additionally played extremely well from his cornerback position on defense.
Things did not materialize as anticipated for the Yellowjackets (2-8), who despite some outstanding individual performances finished a disappointing fourth in the MVL.
A bright spot for the ‘Jackets was the play of junior quarterback Adrian Solis, the sixth leading passer in the section having completed 111-214 passes for 1615 yards and 14 touchdowns. A two-dimensional player, Solis rushed for another 754 yards, eclipsing the 100-yard mark four times.
On the receiving end of 24 of Solis’s passes was fellow junior Alan Rodriguez, who averaged 28.3 yards per catch as he accrued 679 yards, which was fourth in the Northern Section.
Rounding out the trio of Yellowjacket All-MVL selections was Miguel Villanueva, another junior, who made 27 catches for 288 yards and three touchdowns. ■