COALINGA – Sophomore quarterback Logan Johnson had another phenomenal game, tossing 7 touchdown passes, to help lead Coalinga College to a 63-0 rout of visiting Hartnell College in both teams' regular-season finale on Saturday.
The Falcons are peaking at the right time and will have one more chance to put an exclamation point on another solid season. On Sunday, Coalinga was selected to participate in the Grizzly Bowl against host College of the Redwoods. The game is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 6 at the Redwood Bowl on the campus of Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata.
"We really wanted that 11th game and we went out and earned it," said Coalinga head coach Justin Berna. "I'm really happy for our team. This is really great, not only for the program, but for the college as well."
A shot at a postseason bowl game was in doubt after the Falcons suffered a tough 50-48 loss in overtime at home to San Jose City College in late October. After the setback, Coalinga went into a bye week with a 3-4 overall record and 2-2 mark in the Golden Coast League.
Despite the loss, Berna cited that game as the Falcons' turning point.
"We looked ourselves in the mirror after that game and changed our focus," Berna said. "From that point, we considered every game a playoff game that we had to win.
"Offensively, we hit our stride against San Jose. We really figured things out and got our confidence."
Coalinga went on to win its final three games of the regular season, outscoring its opponents by an impressive 163-32 margin.
On Saturday, the Falcons totaled 499 yards of offense and did not turn the ball over in the big win over Hartnell. Johnson completed 21 of 33 passes for 309 yards with his 7 TDs and no interceptions before he was lifted midway through the third quarter.
Johnson threw 3 touchdowns each to Semaj Wickem and Porter Needs. Devin Sanchez also got in on the party while Demarion Wright and Trey Cooks had rushing touchdowns.
The Falcons' defense limited Hartnell to 10 first downs and 38 yards passing. Mario Delgado had an interception, a fumble recovery, and 8 tackles while Xavier Cannaday also picked off a pass and totaled 7 tackles. Myles Rush added a sack and 7 tackles.
Coalinga heads into the bowl game with a 6-4 overall record and finished third in the Golden Coast League. The Falcons are making their second bowl game appearance in three years. Coalinga last played in the Silicon Valley Bowl to close the 2022 season.