MAXWELL, CA (MPG) – In years past during the summer when there is a lull in the high school sports scene, the Pioneer Review has talked with longtime coaches about their memories and teams to revive some history not only for those who witnessed the event, but also for those not around to experience it.
However, this year, the paper will embark on a different perspective, one from the viewpoint of people who have spent countless hours following various sports in Colusa County.
What ensues serves to not only honor the dedication these individuals have exhibited, but a way to recapture memories and emotions associated with Colusa County’s athletic history that perhaps were not captured in the sports pages.
Evolving from the term fanatic, or more accurately from the Latin word fanaticus, a fan is now an enthusiast with a deep connection and devotion to a particular team, and the individuals participating in the “View from the Seats” series are certainly that.
Although their recollections may be different from someone else’s, the hope is to generate discussion about events that have played a role in the evolving chronicle of the local county teams.
Leading off the series is Maxwell’s Dena Lausten, who for nearly two decades has kept score for the Panthers’ baseball and volleyball teams while also putting in stints filming and keeping statistics for football.
Upon being hired to teach at the elementary school in 1981, Lausten recalls immediately attending Maxwell High School athletic events, particularly football, because in that era the whole town turned out on Friday nights.
“Even though I didn’t know any of the high school kids when I started, that’s just what you did, you supported your school.”
Despite retiring from teaching in 2013, Lausten signed on at MHS as an academic counselor in 2017 where she will remain, she said, until she “retires again.”
Over the years in Maxwell, Lausten has worked with a litany of Panther coaches including Eric Lay, Russ Gardner, Forrest Bateman, Tyler Wells, Al and Donna Vargas, Ashley Wells, Jessica Karlonas, Robert Wilson and Russ Jones to name a few.
One remembrance involved filming football games from the cherry picker when her son Kane played and specifically being asked to leave the field in Loyalton because he scored a touchdown in the game.
Another memory that surfaced was the time the football team and their families made the trek to Tulelake in a charter bus due to the icy conditions only to turn around and come home after a few plays because the entire Tule Lake Basin lost power.
Yet, in spite of the hundreds of games she has attended, baseball is the sport most near and dear to her heart and it provides the subject of her most notable recollection.
For Lausten, that memory stems from the 2007 Northern Section CIF Division V championship between the Panthers and Redding Christian, a rematch of the 2006 title game, which Maxwell had won.
“I will never forget that game,” said Lausten. “It was the third Saturday in May and also the Maxwell rodeo. We were supposed to have home field advantage all the way through, but the year before we played the same team on rodeo Saturday and they weren’t too happy with the crowd that came over after the rodeo. So, this time we had to move to Willows to play. It was the bottom of the seventh and we were up by two. Gustavo Rangel was pitching with runners on first and third with one out. The batter flew out to center fielder Brian Hamner. The runner on third tagged up and took off. Brian threw a rocket to our catcher, Brandon Ottenwalter and he tagged the runner out. Game over and lots of tears. Only three seniors on that team, Brandon and Kane and Daniel Jennings.”
Ottenwalter had a huge day in his final appearance for the Panthers, going six innings on the mound and striking out 10 before giving way to Rangel, then also belting a three-run home run in the 8-6 victory.
Jenkins doubled and scored twice, while sophomore John Davis collected two hits and drove in a run.
Nonetheless, it was a game that was special to Lausten not only because it ended on such a spectacular play, but also because of the significance of the field in Willows which is named in honor of her brother, Mike Freitas, a standout pitcher for the Honkers who passed away at the age of 21.
This year Lausten gave notice that she will step down as the volleyball scorekeeper, but will continue to attend matches when she can and will still keep the baseball book for the Panthers.
When asked why she continues to volunteer, she was resolute in her response saying, “The kids. They make it worth all the travel and time. I will be out there as long as I can and I also appreciate all the people that come out and support our kids as well.”