ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) – According to Northern Section records, the first meeting between Pierce and Colusa on the gridiron was in 1923, and in the 100 years since, the two squads have faced each other a total of 87 times.
Over that span, the RedHawks, as they have been known for the past decade, hold a 51-31 advantage in the rivalry that also ended in five ties.
Included in those numbers is last Friday night’s contest at Gregg LeMaster Field that saw Colusa methodically dissect the Pierce defense to post a 35-21 victory in the 2023 Sacramento Valley League season opener.
After a slow start against Paradise two weeks ago, the RedHawks came out ready to go against the Bears, receiving the opening kickoff and marching 65 yards in 11 plays which culminated with an Adan Travis three-yard touchdown run.
In that initial possession, which took six minutes off the clock, Colusa featured running back Will McCoy, who garnered 32 yards on the ground, while Isaiah Travis delivered on a big third down conversion, hauling in a pass from quarterback Bo Coronado that was good for 39 yards and put the RedHawks well inside the red zone.
On the other hand, it was an inauspicious beginning for the Bears, who on their opening drive were pinned deep in their own territory, and, after three plays, were forced to punt, giving the ball back to Colusa at the Pierce 32-yard line.
Four plays later, again highlighted by the punishing running of McCoy and another catch by Isaiah Travis, the RedHawks extended their advantage to 14-0, when McCoy scored from seven yards out.
Now in the second quarter, Pierce, despite a return to midfield on the subsequent kickoff, saw its drive stalled by penalties and was forced to punt once again, giving the ball back to the RedHawks.
With the Colusa running game opening opportunities for the pass, the RedHawks’ Travis brothers added on with two more scores before halftime, the first coming on a one-yard plunge up the gut by Adan Travis, while the second was a 23-yard catch and run by older brother Isaiah.
It was another big night for Isaiah Travis, as the senior caught six balls for 132 yards.
At 6’ 6”, Travis has been creating matchup problems all season long, and, as a result, is currently third in the section in reported receiving yards, with 365, and, in the process, has caught six touchdowns.
Yet, there was still another half to be played and it seemed to bring some life to the Bears, who started the third quarter with an 80-yard scoring drive, which was capped when Nathan Gomez bulled his way into the endzone on a fourth-and-two play.
However, the problem for Pierce was that Colusa responded with a 90-yard drive of its own, scoring its final points of the night when Coronado found Peyton Humphrey in the end zone on an 18-yard strike.
With the score 35-7 the Bears continued to fight, and got a long return from Erick Montanez putting them at the Colusa 41 to start the final period.
Seven plays later and aided by a RedHawk penalty, Pierce was back in the end zone after quarterback Drew Burnum connected on a one-yard pass to Montanez, which after the extra point made the score 35-14 with almost 10 minutes left in the game.
Needing to execute an onside kick, the Bears did just that, with David Ramirez recovering the ball at midfield.
Although the clock continued to tick away, the Pierce ground attack did its job, needing just three minutes to get its third touchdown of the second half on a Gomez three-yard run.
Unfortunately, for the Bears, it was their last possession of the night, as they once again could not contain the Colusa offense, which kept the chains moving and eventually ran out the clock.
For Pierce coach Anthony Tapia, it was a frustrating game, given that many of his squad’s problems were self-inflicted, although he credited the RedHawks’ ability to execute as well.
“A lot of our issues are mental this year,” said Tapia, whose team committed six first half penalties. “Coming off the bye, we knew what Colusa was going to do, but we didn’t stop them all night. That being said, Colusa does have an impressive offense. They set the tone and ran the ball well.”
Tapia also singled out the effort of Gomez, his sophomore fullback, who rushed 13 times for a game-high 78 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bears, who accumulated 226 yards of total offense, got an additional 42 yards on the ground from Burnum, and 39 more yards from Alfonso Orozco.
On defense, Gavin Guynn led the effort with 10 tackles while Orozco made six.
Yet, the night belonged to RedHawks, who, despite yielding three second half touchdowns, were never threatened, making it a game Coach Mikey Badaluco could enjoy, unlike the nerve-wracking section championship game last season, when the RedHawks edged the Bears 7-0.
“Tonight was a good win for us,” said Badaluco. “We got a little complacent in the second half and gave them more drives than we probably should have. Pierce ran hard and sometimes we just couldn’t get off the field, but our offense did its thing.”
Offensively, Coronado, one of last week’s Cal-Hi Sports Northern California Players of the Week and the third ranked passer in the section, completed 18 of 23 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns, then ran for an additional 60 yards on six carries to lead Colusa.
McCoy, whose consistent gains Badaluco said opened up the passing game, rushed 14 times for 67 yards, while Humphrey made four catches for 59 yards, as Colusa rolled up 394 yards of total offense.
Spearheading the defensive effort was McCoy with 10 tackles along with Abimael Fuerte and Joe Chavez with eight apiece.
Both teams will celebrate homecoming tonight, with Pierce (4-2, 0-1) hosting an improved Live Oak squad, while Colusa (6-0, 1-0) welcomes Durham
to town. H
