The power of sport to bridge generational gaps was on full display last Saturday evening at Granzella’s Banquet Room in Williams as a large crowd turned out for the 21st annual Colusa County Sports Hall of Fame Banquet.
It was a blend of the past and present, with Hall of Famers and community enthusiasts joining the top senior athletes of the year, in what has become a celebration of hard work and achievement in sport.
Headlining the event were the newly minted inductees, which included Don Friel, Ron Gross, Court King, Lori Dennis-Niesen, and Dave Tyler.
Friel, a Pierce Bear through and through, was a three-sport athlete at Pierce in the late 1980s, before heading to Gavilan College in Gilroy to play football and continuing his career at Humboldt State.
While at Humboldt, Friel took an interest in rugby, playing for the Colusa County team until he retired from the sport in 2011.
Friel also put in stints coaching football at Mendocino Community College, Williams High School, and, of course, at his alma mater, where he is now the principal.
For his part, Gross, a four-sport standout at Colusa High School, went on to play both football and baseball on two very successful teams at Yuba College.
Following his athletic career, Gross ventured into coaching, starting at Colusa High School before moving on to Modesto JC where he spent the past 17 years as an assistant football coach and the head men’s golf coach.
King, a four-sport athlete at Williams High School, went on to be a three-year starter on Chico State’s football team and was signed as a free agent by the Oakland Raiders in 1984.
Although injury cut short his football career, King found another opportunity in rugby where he played for the California Grizzlies, the Sacramento Capitols, and eventually internationally with the US Bald Eagles over 35s.
As the only professional female roper in Colusa County, Dennis-Niesen is just the second rodeo competitor inducted into the Colusa County Sports Hall of Fame.
A Maxwell native who developed her love of rodeo while in high school, Dennis-Niesen currently sits atop the standings in Division C of the Women’s Team Roping Association.
Rounding out the Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is Dave Tyler, who excelled in football, track, basketball, and golf at Colusa High School.
Tyler then found success at Yuba College on the football field between 1982-84, although was limited by injury in his sophomore year.
Receiving special recognition for their connection and commitment to the athletics in Colusa County was Charles Geyer and Sally Pearson.
Geyer received the Director’s Award for his contributions to various athletic undertakings around the country, while Pearson, a long-time advocate for women’s sports, received the Coach’s Award for her unprecedented success in that capacity.
Also enshrined into the Hall of Fame was the 2004 Pierce football team, which finished the season as the undefeated Northern Section Division III Champions.
Dominant on both sides of the ball, the Bears accrued 5,002 yards of total offense and averaged 44.7 points per game, while holding their opponents to a mere 8.25.
Another element of the evening was the recognition of this year’s top senior athletes, which included Colusa’s Leo Bedolla and Karsyn Gwinnup; Maxwell’s Cale Kuska and Jocelyn Lazarus; Princeton’s Sophia Deniz and Alessandro Sullivan; Pierce’s Jocelyn Medina and Joseph Saavedra; along with Williams’ Leo Trujillo and Trinity Tungasmita.
The tradition of honoring Colusa County’s athletic achievement is the work of the Hall of Fame Committee, which includes Bill Barrett, Bill Barrett, Jr., Vance Boyes, Merced Corona, Russell Gardner, Ed Martinez, Joe Pearson, Jim Pingrey, and John Scheimer.
This year’s banquet was dedicated to the memory of Gary Roper, a committee member who passed away in March. ■