Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Levi Cox-Cooley in action for the Corsairs on Saturday.

By Ray Hamill — Levi Cox-Cooley left the Los Medanos defense in his dust on Saturday on his way to making a big impression on the College of the Redwoods record books.

The sophomore running back had a career day in a 42-24 win over the Mustangs at the Redwood Bowl, rushing for 281 yards on 22 carries.

The former Del Norte Warrior scored on runs of 97, 5 and 28 yards — his first three touchdowns of the season — as the Corsairs quickly returned to winning ways one week after losing on the road at Foothill.

It was one of the greatest rushing games in CR history.

His 97-yard TD tied a school record, while his 281 yards is the second best single-game mark in program history.

Only Lyndon Rowell’s 310-yard performance against Solano in 2007 was better and Cox-Cooley’s big day eclipsed the 268-yard game by Isaac White in 1996, which had stood as the second best rushing performance in Corsairs history.

“That was an incredible game,” CR head coach Jason White said of Cox-Cooley’s performance, which saw him average 12.8 yards a carry.

The 5-foot-7, 180-pound Cox-Cooley broke free down the sideline for his record-tying score midway through the second quarter just moments after teammate Mason Priddy pulled down an interception at the CR 3-yard line.

Cox-Cooley broke a couple of tackles on his way to the end zone, while also making a couple of cuts that impressed his coaches.

“His biggest attribute is his vision and his ability to change direction,” Jason White said.

Check out Cox-Cooley’s second TD run of the game below …

It was a nice reward for the hard-working former Big 4 Offensive MVP, who played just seven games as a freshman at CR before suffering a season-ending injury.

After Saturday’s game, Jason White also paid tribute to the performance of his offensive line, which was much improved from the Foothill loss.

Cox-Cooley’s 97-yard TD run tied Tom Craven and Wally Marks for the longest in CR history.

Marks had his 97-yard TD run against Yuba in 1992, while Craven scored his long TD against Shasta in 1990, with Jason White helping out on the play as an offensive lineman on the team that day.

The Corsairs, who are now 4-2, will have a bye this coming weekend before hosting Yuba at the Redwood Bowl on Oct. 21.