Photo by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — The College of the Redwoods players appear to be enjoying the moment as they look to end a three-decade bowl victory drought when they play Hartnell this weekend.

According to head coach Jason White, the team had a productive week of practice ahead of Saturday’s 2023 Grizzly Bowl, which CR will host at the Redwood Bowl.

“We’re getting business done, but we’re having fun doing it,” White said. “Our guys are working and having fun, but they’re focused. It’s been a lot of fun this week.”

The last time CR won a bowl game was all the way back in 1993, and that streak includes last year’s Grizzly Bowl defeat to Monterey Peninsula.

But while this year’s team features many of the same players from a year ago, they’re all a year more experienced and the difference in the build up to the big game this time around has been a lot different.

“You know, we had a very good week of practice,” the coach said. “It feels like we’re practicing in the middle of the year and not at the end of the year.

“It’s a huge difference to what we went through in the bowl game last year.”

Hartnell is 7-3 on the season and comes into the weekend showdown riding a two-game losing streak, while CR has won five straight and is 8-2.

That, however, will count for little on Saturday.

The Corsairs will continue to rely on what helped them succeed this season, including a ball control offense and a defense that has frustrated its opponents all year.

“We’re going to do the things we do,” the head coach said. “We’re going to run the ball, run some play action and try to control the ball offensively.

“Obviously the big thing for us is to protect the ball.

“I think when you get to this point you don’t try to change things.”

The good news for the Corsairs, who haven’t played in two weeks, is that they are as healthy as they can expect to be at this stage of the season.

Saturday’s kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

On Friday, we’ll continue to take a look at the build up to the big game, as well as the impact of a sophomore class that has put CR football back on the map over the last two years after two decades of non-winning seasons.