In sports, the adage is “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” and nothing was truer last Friday night in Colusa as the RedHawks needed some last second heroics to eek out a 37-34 non-conference victory over the visiting Corning Cardinals.
It was a huge win for the RedHawks, who had their Sacramento Valley League game against Paradise scheduled for Oct. 15 cancelled due to COVID protocol, and picked up the game with Corning, a NSCIF Division II school, on what should have been their bye week.
While on paper it looked like it might be an easy match up for Colusa (6-2, 1-2), the Cardinals who have just one win on the season were aggressive throughout and gave the RedHawks all they could handle in what turned out to be a see-saw battle.
Although it was a relatively quiet first half, the RedHawks got on the board in both the first and second periods, but Corning was not to be out done and answered with two touchdowns of their own.
during the RedHawks’ game with Corning on Oct. 22. Frias threw for 150 yards and three touchdowns including the game winner as time ran out.
Quarterback Emanuel Frias put the RedHawks on top, with eight minutes elapsed in the game, when he bulled his way into the end zone from a yard out, then connected on a fourth downplay with his favorite target this season, Nick Price, for a 9-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.
Unfortunately for Colusa, however, the Cardinals responded both times, including capitalizing on a RedHawk turnover, with just three seconds remaining in the half, to knot the score at 14.
Corning tried a little trickery to open the third period, opting for an onside kick, however, the RedHawks recovered and began what would be a seven-play drive near midfield.
It was Frias, again finding pay dirt, who scored on a two-yard keeper to give Colusa a 21-14 advantage, and then increasing the lead to 28-14, after connecting with Price on a short pass that the elusive receiver turned into a 57-yard touchdown.
Still, the Cardinals wouldn’t go the way, relying on their ground attack to work themselves back into the game just a minute into the final period.
Colusa countered with an eight-play drive of its own that ended with a 25-yard field goal by kicker Joe Maciel, which seemed to give the RedHawks a comfortable 31-21 cushion, with five minutes remaining, but that was not the case.
Relying solely on a run game that was taking a toll on the Colusa dpoisedpoised, starting with a kickoff return that placed them at the Cardinal 30.
From there, Frias picked up 20 yards on two plays to get the ball to midfield, but it was looking grim for Colusa, who had no timeouts and just three seconds with which to work.
Yet, as the Cardinal defense keyed on Price, a scrambling Frias launched a 50-yard Hail Mary to the end zone, which dropped into the arms of Landon Humphrey, who had gotten behind the defense to cap perhaps the most exciting finish to a game this season.
After the pandemonium of the celebration had subsided somewhat, coach Mikey Badaluco reflected on the significance of the win.
“We made a lot of mistakes to let them in the game,” Badaluco said. “Most specifically, the second quarter interception and then the fumble in the fourth. If we clean that up, they’re not in the game. We also know that we need to improve on stopping the run, but I’m happy we didn’t get down. This game could make all the difference in the playoff seeding, and could help us get a first round home game.”
Still, as Badaulco also pointed out, the result showed that the RedHawks have a number of players on which they can rely in crunch time, and one of those is Frias, who in addition to tossing the game winner completed seven passes for 150 yards and two more touchdowns as well.
Going into the game with Corning, the senior quarterback had thrown for over 900 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also being the RedHawks’ leading rusher.
Eleven of those scoring plays were to Price, who prior to last week had accrued nearly 700 receiving yards and scored 13 times, making him one of the top performers in the Northern Section in those categories.
Against the Cardinals, Price caught two passes for 66 yards, both of which resulted in touchdowns.
Also playing well in the win was Hayden McCartyMcCarty, who carried 13 times for 100 yards and impressed his coach with the effort.
“Hayden did a good job fighting for extra yards and played tough for us tonight, “Badaluco said of the junior running back.
While Colusa did struggle at times to contain the Cardinals’ run game, there were some bright spots, with one being the performance of linebacker Niko Silvas, who recorded a sack and was in on a number of big plays defensively.
Another noteworthy play was turned in by lineman Jose Garcia, whose blocked punt gave the RedHawks a short field and led to their second touchdown.
This Friday, the RedHawks find themselves in Live Oak to face a Lions team that is winless in the Sacramento Valley League and has been outscored 303-40 by their opponents this year. ■