For the first time since 1976, the College of the Redwoods football team captured back-to-back Bowl Game wins after the Corsairs 37-26 Grizzly Bowl win over Coalinga College at the Redwood Bowl on Friday night.

It wasn’t always a sure thing on Friday night. The Corsairs trailed 20-13 at halftime and starting quarterback, freshman Bryton Livingston, missed the Corsairs last drive and in came freshman quarterback Kade Bomberger, who entering Friday’s game had zero touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.

After halftime, Livingston warmed up on the sideline throwing some passes but you could tell his arm, which was injured while making a tackle after a first-half interception, wasn’t up to par so head coach Jason White stuck with Bomberger.

“He (Livingston) made the tackle but he kind of re-aggravated an old injury. We anticipate he’s going to be fine, he could throw the ball but with quite a bit of pain so we just got to go with Kade Bomberger,” White said. “You come in as the backup quarterback in a big game like that, he stepped up. That kid, he’s a student of the game, he takes notes every day, he does everything you ask for, he’s the kind of kid you root for.”

Bomberger played two drives in the first half — the first ended with a CR punt, the second was an interception that set up the Falcons’ go-ahead touchdown with 20 seconds left before halftime. The Corsairs got the ball after halftime and immediately made their way down the field. The drive started with three straight completions to get the ball inside the Falcons 30-yard line. Bomberger connected with sophomore wide receiver Anthony Aguirre to get inside the red zone but the Corsairs’ drive stalled there and sophomore Ryan Thomas hit a 28-yard field goal to make it a 20-16 game.

“We went into the season knowing with him as our backup, we had a legitimate No. 2,” White said of Bomberger. “Not a guy who’s just going to hand the ball off, we had a guy who can actually come in and play.”

The CR defense forced a three-and-out from the Falcons, gifting the ball right back to the Corsairs’ offense. CR kept the ball on the ground with freshman Isaiah Hemmings rushing for 8,13 and 18 yards to open the drive and get inside the Coalinga 10-yard line, Bomberger took a sack to push the Corsairs back but Hemmings didn’t let another drive stall, rushing for 14 physical yards to find his way into the endzone and put the Corsairs up 23-20 less than ten minutes into the second half.

“If we would’ve won the conference, he would have been MVP,” White said of Hemmings. “He’s a great player and he brings so much to the table, he’s got power, he’s got moves, he’s got speed.”

Coalinga picked up one first down before sophomore quarterback Logan Johnson lost the ball despite not being touched in the pocket. There was a dog pile for the ball but the Corsairs came out with it, setting up their offense in plus field position.

Hemmings capped off the drive with another rushing touchdown, this one from two yards out that put CR up 30-20 late in the third quarter. The Corsairs’ defense didn’t let up forcing another three-and-out but on the Falcons’ punt, the long snapper delivered a low snap and the punter went down to a knee to field the ball and was ruled down and turned the ball back over to the Corsairs already inside of the red zone.

“Just a great performance all-around,” White said of the team’s second half. “We dominated in all three phases of the game.”

CR pushed the ball down to the one-yard line before Bomberger snuck in a 1-yard touchdown to push the Corsairs’ lead to 17 points. Coalinga scored a touchdown with just over five minutes to play to make it a 37-26 ballgame but the Falcons didn’t get the ball again as the Corsairs ran the clock and secured a second straight bowl win for the first time in over 40 years.

“This win kind of sets a tradition for us, we expect to go to a bowl game,” White said after his third-straight Grizzly Bowl appearance. “We expect to win that game, not just make it there.”

Hemmings was named the game’s MVP, totaling 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Hemmings is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, but a member of the Corsairs coaching staff played with Hemmings’ high school coach who made the connection that got the running back to Humboldt County.

“Coach White did a great job of putting us in position,” Hemmings said. “Put the ball in my hands and I got to go make a play.”

Bomberger shook off his slow start and played a tidy second half, going 7-11 for 70 yards and the pick in the game. Sophomore tight end Kaleb Price was the Corsairs’ leading receiver with five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown in the first half. The CR defense got four turnovers, with three first-half interceptions before the third-quarter fumble recovery.

“I love this game, I’m blessed to be able to put these pads on and go out there with my guys and make plays.” Hemmings said.

Now it’s ring season for the Corsairs for the second time in two seasons, just three years since the program was resurrected in 2022.

Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526.