COLUSA, CA (MPG) – With a rivalry that dates back to 1927, although the two squads have not met in every year since, the Colusa RedHawks have taken the most recently played five games from the Williams Yellowjackets.
However, that streak came to an end last Friday night at Larry Yeghoian Stadium as Williams ultimately emerged with a convincing 26-15 victory, one that perhaps only the ‘Jackets themselves believed would be the outcome.
Being underestimated is something that Coach Forrest Bateman and his team not only expect, but willingly accept as a challenge as he explained in the aftermath of the game.
“These guys decided back in January that they were going to earn our respect back. We know that we will never be given it, so we know we have to earn it, and that’s the way we want it. Our kids are willing to make sacrifices and I have never coached a team here where all 27 guys know what the goal is and what they are supposed to do. They bought into the defense and the offense and while it isn’t always pretty, we want to play fast and physical and we are taking steps forward. I have never been as proud of a group of kids as I am this one because of their level of commitment.”
That mentality was clearly evident as the Yellowjackets dominated the time of possession, even though the score was 0-0 at the end of the first period.
Yet, in the second quarter, Williams took advantage of a RedHawk miscue when after a penalty on a punt gave the ‘Jackets’ new life in which they strung together a 10-play drive that culminated with Azael Velazquez bulling his way into the end zone to give his team a 6-0 lead with a minute and a half left in the first half.
But the Yellowjackets weren’t done just yet, because with 25 seconds left on the clock, Jorge Garcia picked off a pass in the flat and returned it 60 yards to the house sending the visitors into intermission with a 12-0 lead.
Coming out after the half, Colusa showed what it is capable of, embarking on an 11-play drive which took the ball deep into ‘Jacket territory at the six.
From there, despite a failed fourth down attempt, a Williams penalty, gave the RedHawks another chance which they promptly turned into points after Nick Alvarez bounced outside and into the end zone, making the score 12-7 still in the ‘Jackets’ favor.
Although it seemed the momentum had shifted to Colusa after it forced the ‘Jackets to turn the ball over on downs, a sack by the Yellowjackets’ Varion Gonzalez ultimately brought an end to the RedHawks’ ensuing drive.
Following the punt, Williams needed just three plays to add to its advantage after Velazquez went 17 yards for his second score of the game early in the fourth quarter.
Nevertheless, on the subsequent RedHawk possession, the ‘Jacket defense once more rose up as Giovanni Luna picked off a pass, giving the ball back to the offense inside Colusa territory at the 42.
One play later, the Yellowjackets increased their advantage to 26-7 when Velazquez raced through the defense for the touchdown.
It also marked the end of the game for the senior running back who finished with 166 yards on 24 carries and three scores along with a fumble recovery as he was perhaps somewhat unfairly assessed a penalty that sent him off the field.
Colusa used his loss to narrow the gap with Alvarez eventually walking into the end zone with nearly six minutes left on the clock, but credit goes to the Williams defense for in the end holding off the RedHawks and allowing its offense to run out the clock.
While Velazquez shouldered the load on the attack, defensively Javier Saavedra and Anthony Gonzalez each made 11 tackles, with Luna contributing nine to lead the swarm.
In reflecting on the effort and his teammates resiliency, Saavedra credited the team’s mindset for its success commenting that, “Since January, our coaches have drilled into us that our defense will bend but never break and we believe that. I also know how much work we put in and that if one person goes down, the next one will step up. We believe in each other.”
While the Yellowjackets were rightfully exuberant, it was a disappointing setback for Colusa, although Coach Mason Niccum said there is a great deal to take away from the game.
“Everyone feels really bad because it was an extremely hard loss, but we didn’t do the things it takes to win. Too many turnovers and we didn’t tackle well so we need to fix those things. It’s hard to win when those two categories are where we struggled. Still, our kids will battle and get better. Hopefully this turns into a good thing when we look back at it.”
One bright spot for the RedHawks was the performance of wide receiver Dante Santana who Niccum credited with giving the offense “some life into the passing game” having caught four passes for 89 yards. He then highlighted the play of his offensive linemen including Dane Codorniz, Charlie Faris, Landen Miller, Aiden Vega and Michael Johnson saying, “The O-Line battled and put us in great spots in the run game, we just have to finish drives and eliminate turnovers.”
Other stat leaders for Colusa included Carson Cain completing six of 10 passes for 123 yards and Benji Mata who made a team-high 10 tackles for the defense in addition to recovering a fumble.
Off to its best start since 2016, Williams (3-0) tries to snap a 10-game losing streak in the Rice Bowl when it welcomes Pierce to McCarl Field on Sept. 18, while Colusa (1-1) looks to get back on track in Hamilton City.