When quarterback Aidan Crawford dropped to one knee for the final snap, the Los Medanos sideline and crowd exploded. Players sprinted onto the field and the Golden State Bowl trophy went straight into the air as the Mustangs closed out the greatest season in program history.
A 41-35 win Saturday over Coalinga sealed Los Medanos College’s first bowl game victory since 2017 and pushed this team into the record books with a 10-1 finish, the best ever at the school. For a program that had been chasing a breakthrough for years, this moment was huge. It felt earned, emotional and long overdue for the players, coaches and fans.
What made the celebration even sweeter was how close LMC came to letting it slip away. The Mustangs jumped out to a 28-7 lead behind three early touchdowns from wide receiver Larenzo Mayfield, only to watch Coalinga storm back and cut it to 28-21 before halftime. Crawford said the shift caught him off guard.
“We were up 28-7 at one point, and I said, okay, we have a great grip on this game,” he said. “We go into halftime, it’s 28-21. I said, okay, we need to lock in.”
Head coach Chris Shipe felt the pressure too, and he said the team’s identity showed in how they responded. “Resiliency,” he said. “We battled. It got pretty dicey there, and we were able to find a way to kind of pull it out.”
Coalinga kept coming in the second half, loading the box to stifle the Mustang’s ground game and force them to win the game through the air. Crawford and Mayfield answered that challenge with one of the most dominant QB-WR performances the school will ever see. Crawford went 14/22 on pass attempts, throwing for 293 yards and five touchdowns, including four to Mayfield, who finished with 211 receiving yards and several game-breaking plays.
“Man, the game went perfect,” Mayfield said. “Every catch was almost a touchdown for me.” His favorite moment was the one that sealed it, the deep, go-ahead touchdown with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter. “Game-winner touchdown, fourth quarter, final drive,” he said. “I knew I was gonna catch it. I ran a post, it was wide open.”
That final bomb came on a bold call that Crawford couldn’t believe his coach dialed up.
“Man, our coach, was unbelievably bold and he believed in us,” Crawford said. “It was third-and-one. We could have ran it. But we decided to throw it. We threw it deep and Larenzo takes it for an 80-yard touchdown. Insane. That’s the game.”
The play electrified the home crowd and shut down Coalinga’s comeback attempt.
But the win wasn’t just about offense. Linebacker Sean Cervantes put together a massive 17-tackle performance, earning defensive player of the game honors and leading a defense that held strong in key moments.
Shipe said the Mustangs’ historic season was built on a shared commitment to a new level of preparation the team made months ago.
“We talked about that in January,” he said of ending the bowl drought. “We emphasized that for the next ten months… to be able to say that’s the best team in LMC history, with ten wins, is huge. And it all goes back to those guys, commitment to the program.” Shipe also praised the connection between Crawford and Mayfield, calling it one of the most reliable parts of their offense. “Him and Aidan have a great connection. We put everything in those two guys, and they delivered.”
Crawford said making LMC history was something he’ll never forget.
“It feels amazing,” he said. But what meant the most to him wasn’t the record, it was the bond that kept the team together when the game tightened. “We love each other,” he said. “In JUCO, you don’t get that a lot, but for some reason we all just love each other. Offensive line, running backs, coaches. I love this team.”
When the final whistle blew, the entire roster crowded around the trophy stage, laughing, yelling and lifting the Golden State Bowl trophy high for photos. After the longest, most successful season in school history, Shipe said the final kneel-down felt like a reward for everyone involved.
“Every day has been a joyous day,” he said. “Being around those guys and being around the staff — definitely excited to have it.”
For the Mustangs, the Golden State Bowl wasn’t just a win. It was the climax of a timeless season. After months of pushing each other, the countless hours of preparation culminated into the moment LMC football stopped chasing history and officially became it.
