Perhaps the biggest story of 2019 was the remarkable season the Paradise High football team was able to achieve. A year after the Camp Fire devastated the town of Paradise, the football team rallied to go on a 12-game win streak and advance to the Northern Section Division III championship game.
The town of Paradise packed the stands and national media stacked the sidelines of Om Wraith Field to watch the Bobcats mow over opponents week after week.
The Bobcats’ run began on Aug. 23 with the season opener against Williams. The atmosphere was electric. A community that had gone through so much pain had a reason to smile and cheer. Paradise rolled its way to a 42-0 victory.
The next week, Paradise held off defending section Division IV champion East Nicolaus for a 35-28 victory on the road.
What followed was an eight-game win streak to finish the regular season with an unblemished 10-0 mark.
But a berth into the playoffs wasn’t guaranteed. Since the Bobcats played an independent schedule, they were on the cusp of qualifying for the postseason.
However, the Bobcats would earn the No. 4 seed and host a first-round playoff game against Live Oak. Paradise breezed by Live Oak with a 56-0 shutout. But it came with a bit of drama.
A brief skirmish that broke out in the third quarter between Live Oak and Paradise landed six Bobcats suspended for the semifinal against top-seeded West Valley. The Paradise players were suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct and for leaving the bench.
But, the Bobcats were still able to take down No. 1 West Valley 28-13 on Nov. 22 to secure a spot in the section championship game.
On Nov. 30, the dream season came to an end against No. 2 Sutter. Playing in a cold, constant downpour, Sutter topped Paradise 20-7 at River Valley High School in Yuba City.
The Bobcats’ year would end at 12-1. It was an emotional sideline after the game as teammates, coaches, fans hugged and cried together.
“It was the best year I ever had. The things we had to go through — we all came together,” said sophomore running back Tyler Harrison after the loss. “We came together as brothers … we learned how to love each other. I love every single one of these boys and I couldn’t be happier. Wish it could have ended differently.”
Paradise, Corning baseball face off at Oracle Park
Following the Camp Fire, the Paradise High baseball team wasn’t able to host a game at the school. But for its first “home game” of the year, the Bobcats were able to take the field at Oracle Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants.
Paradise played Corning High on March 16 in San Francisco. Players from both teams had the chance to play in a Major League ballpark where some of their favorite players have taken the field.
“I didn’t care if we won or lost,” Paradise coach Bryson Baker said. “We play them two more times in league. I wanted them to have the experience of playing on a Major League Baseball field.”
Chico State XC comes home for NCAA Championships
From the time Sacramento was announced as the host city of the 2019 NCAA Division II cross-country championships, Chico State head coach Gary Towne was excited.
The Haggin Oaks Golf Club course, just 90 minutes away from the Wildcats’ campus, marked the first time since 1996 that the championship event would be hosted in Northern California.
There were competitive advantages to the proximity and familiarity of the course, but also, a reunion of sorts for Chico State alumni and supporters of the program.
The Wildcats men’s and women’s teams, in the midst of a decades-long streak at the NCAA Championships, appearing in every event since 2000, added another chapter to their decorated history Nov. 23 in Sacramento.
The women’s team took seventh, led by senior Nora Pizzella placing 60th in her final race, followed by Gracie Dupuis, Talia Swangler — a Paradise High alumna — and Destiny Everett.
In the ensuing men’s race, the Wildcats placed third, matching their best-ever team finish at the NCAA Championships. Wyatt Baxter, Jack Emanuel — a former Chico High standout — and Jhavahn Holston all placed in the top 40 to earn All-American honors.
At the conclusion of the race, the men’s team huddled near the finish line and were circled by a sea of Chico State supporters cheering them on for several minutes. Towne then spoke in front of everyone, and thought back to the moment a few years ago when he learned Sacramento would be hosting.
“This is what I dreamed of,” he said.
PV, Chico boys clash in epic section soccer final
The Northern Section Division I boys soccer section championship felt more at times like a 12-round boxing fight than a traditional soccer match.
So little separated Chico High and Pleasant Valley on a brisk February afternoon at the Panthers’ home stadium, the two teams needed 100 minutes and four overtime periods to decide a winner.
In the end, that team was Chico. Reed Sheffield scored on the receiving end of a long free kick from Juan Tejada in the second of two golden goal overtime periods, breaking a scoreless tie and giving the Panthers their second straight section championship.
Two goalkeepers — PV’s Austin Matthews and Chico’s Duncan Babcock — delivered save after save to keep the opposition out of net. Near goals happened on multiple occasions, including the 22nd minute when PV’s Caden Crumm delivered a bicycle kick strike that deflected off the crossbar and was ruled just outside the goal line.
The Panthers went on to capture a CIF NorCal Regional Championship with a 2-0 win over Ygnacio Valley March 2 in Chico. Paul Marc scored both goals for Chico and Babcock recorded five saves in the shutout. PV advanced to the semifinal round, before falling 2-1 at Ygnacio Valley.
Biggs girls basketball captures first section title; Gridley, Willows meet in NorCal round
All roads led to the 2018-19 season for the Biggs girls basketball team. A class of seven seniors, many of whom played together well before high school, created high expectations around the program, and specifically, a Northern Section title — something that the Wolverines had never achieved.
This Biggs team was different. On the heels of a 23-1 regular season, a Mountain Valley League title and a No. 1 seed for the section playoffs, the Wolverines topped Trinity 53-41 in the Division V title game Feb. 22.
Their town of a little under 2,000 residents was well-represented at Butte College’s Cowan Gym, and the Wolverines put on a show. Senior point guard Megan Collins paced her team with 20 points and five assists, and senior post Emonye Jones delivered a 14-point, 10-rebound performance.
“We knew it was possible, but you think no one in your school has ever done it, you’re like, ‘Is that really going to be me?’” Collins said after the section title game.
Biggs finished the year 26-2, losing in the CIF NorCal playoffs to Rincon Valley Christian four days after winning the section title. But the ending didn’t diminish the Wolverines’ historic season that was a long time coming for their senior class.
“We’ve been working on this our whole lives,” senior Madison Roles said after the section final. “It just feels like a relief, like all the work has paid off. It feels unreal.”
In the D-IV section playoffs, both Gridley and Willows lost to eventual champion Lassen, though the Bulldogs and Honkers would draw a rematch Feb. 28 in Willows for round two of the NorCal playoffs.
Though Willows won both meetings during the regular season, the visiting Bulldogs pulled off a 58-54 win behind Maddyson Tull’s 25 points and 14 rebounds. Tull and Willows junior Meghan Weinrich, who went for 39 points that night, were later named to the All-Northern Section first team.
The win secured Gridley a trip to the regional semifinals, marking the program’s deepest playoff run in its history. The Bulldogs lost to eventual state champion Caruthers, ending the season with a 22-10 mark.
Kurt Kitayama wins on the European Tour
Kurt Kitayama, the 2011 Chico High graduate, reached a new pinnacle by winning his second event on the European Tour on March 3.
He won the Oman Open in dramatic fashion — by coming back to win by one stroke.
Later in May, Kitayama was able to compete in his first major, by playing in the PGA Championship in New York. Kitayama finished tied for 64th place.
Local sports figures gone
Two big names within the local sports scene died this year, Steve Nettleton and Matt Maderos. Nettleton, the owner of the Chico Heat baseball team and notable philanthropic figure, died on Jan. 11 at the age of 80.
From 1996-2002, Nettleton served as the owner, president and CEO of the Chico Heat professional minor league baseball team.
When the Chico Heat returned in 2016 as a collegiate wood-bat team, Nettleton was one of three owners of the club. Nettleton’s generosity was felt by many throughout the community. He liked to donate to the Boys & Girls Club of Chico, Enloe Medical Center and Chico State, where the baseball stadium bears his name.
Maderos, a former standout basketball player for Pleasant Valley and Butte College, died on March 11 at 62 years old.
Maderos was the son of George Maderos, the man known as the greatest athlete to ever wear a Chico State uniform.
Matt Maderos was part of three section championship basketball teams playing under Denny Varley from 1973-1975.
Maderos would play for Butte College under John Abell, where the Roadrunners won a state basketball championship.
Rodgers leads Green Bay to 13-3 regular season
One year after missing the playoffs, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers put the finishing touches on a 13-3 regular season and No. 2 seed for the playoffs Sunday.
Rodgers, a former Pleasant Valley and Butte College standout, threw for 26 touchdowns, 4,002 yards and just four interceptions, while being named to the Pro Bowl for the eighth time in his career.
He also gave back to his native Butte County, supporting victims of the 2018 Camp Fire through a North Valley Community Foundation fund, and wore special cleats Dec. 8 against Washington, later to be auctioned off to support ongoing recovery efforts. Additionally, he purchased new helmets for the Chico, PV and Paradise football programs ahead of the 2019 season.
Coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2018 with the New York Giants, kicker Aldrick Rosas, an Orland High alumnus, made 12-of-17 field goals while converting 89 percent of his PATs in 2019.
Rigoberto Sanchez, a Hamilton High and Butte product, signed a four-year, $11.6 million contract extension with the Indianapolis Colts prior to his third season with the team. The punter netted an average of 44.1 yards per kick, while also serving as the Colts’ primary kickoff option and holder.
In June, he hosted a youth football camp in Hamilton City for 230 kids ranging from ages 8-16.
“It’s a true honor to come back and give back to the kids,” Sanchez said in an interview with the Enterprise-Record. “Because at one point, I was in these kids’ positions, so it’s humbling.”
Geoff Swaim, a PV and Butte alumnus, played six games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 after spending the prior four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
PV reels in multiple section titles during 2019
From winter through fall, a collection of Pleasant Valley programs added several more section championships to their names.
Some had waited a long time for that elusive title. The PV baseball team claimed its first section crown since 2010 with a 12-2 win over Red Bluff in May at Butte College.
The Vikings’ bats came out strong, with Colin Barber collecting two doubles and an RBI, plus Tyler Egbert and Myles Davis adding to RBIs each. Starting pitcher Conner Pelletier scattered five hits across five innings.
Two weeks later, the Houston Astros selected Barber in the fourth round of the MLB Draft, prompting Barber to decide between joining the organization or playing college baseball at Oregon. Barber opted to sign with the Astros, and he debuted with the Gulf Coast League Astros June 24.
Others followed up section titles in 2018 with another. The Vikings boys basketball team captured a nail-biting 43-41 D-III title over Foothill, coming down to a missed Cougars 3-pointer nearing the buzzer.
With a starting five made up of seniors Daniel Montoya, Colton Whittaker, Cody Hamilton, Treyson Keating and Tyler Otterlei — all part of PV’s state championship run in 2018 — the Vikings advanced to round two of the NorCal Division II playoffs, where it lost to Rocklin 65-62 at home.
PV’s football team also claimed section and state titles in 2018, but the Vikings got off to a tougher start in 2019, with losses to powerhouse programs Rancho Cotate, Del Oro and Valley Christian.
Then, after losses to Shasta and Chico in the Almond Bowl, PV entered the D-II playoffs as the No. 3 seed. That’s when the Vikings’ self-proclaimed “Revenge Tour” began.
PV started with a 21-7 win at Shasta in the semifinals, before stunning Chico 24-3 in the section championship game, behind Austin York’s three rushing touchdowns on a rainy Nov. 30 night.
The Vikings earned a home game for the CIF NorCal Division 4-A playoffs, where it lost to eventual state champion Escalon 41-17.
Both the Vikings’ boys and girls golf teams claimed titles as well. The PV boys won the Northern Section Masters Championships in May at The Links at Rolling Hills. Chase Fleshman shot a 3-over 75 to lead PV, helping the Vikings advance to NorCals.
The PV girls, led by Kiran Singh’s individual championship, topped the team leaderboard Oct. 29 at Table Mountain Golf Course in Oroville. The Vikings edged second-place Chico by four strokes and Singh carded an 85 for the low score of the section tournament.
Butte teams in the postseason
The Butte College baseball team hit a milestone to end the 2019 season. The Roadrunners were able to secure their first 30-win season, the first for head coach Anthony Ferro.
Butte would wrap up the season with a 31-11 overall mark. In the NorCal regional playoffs, Butte battled with Ohlone as the series went to three games. In the final winner-take-all contest, Butte lost 2-1 in 10 innings.
The Butte men’s soccer team also had another successful year. The Roadrunners won the Golden Valley Conference after finishing 10-0-2. They would finish the season with a 19-1-3 mark.
Butte, on a quest to make it to the state championship game, was upset on Nov. 23 in a playoff matchup with Hartnell. The game was tied 2-2 after two periods of overtime, forcing penalty kicks, where Hartnell won 4-2 to end the Roadrunners’ season.
The Butte volleyball team finished another winning season after achieving a 20-12 mark. The Roadrunners had a strong October, in which they went 7-1 to eventually advance to the playoffs.
Butte swept Los Medanos in the NorCal Regional play-in game, but the season ended on a 3-0 defeat to Cabrillo on the road.
