WILLIAMS, CA (MPG) – Of the 58 counties in California, Colusa, with just under 22,000 inhabitants, ranks fiftieth in population, yet in spite of its relatively small size, there has never been a shortage of athletic talent as evidenced at the twenty-fourth annual Sports Hall of Fame Awards Night held at Granzella’s Banquet Hall on July 11.
Such depth is a fact not lost on the Hall of Fame committee chairman Bill Barrett, Jr. who remarked that, “I say every year that each class has such amazing athletes. I think we have only scratched the surface when it comes to recognizing the outstanding athletes from this county and believe there are more stories to uncover.”
Featured during the standing room only event were the five new inductees who were honored for their athletic achievements which took them beyond Colusa County and included Michael Barber, Reese Boyes, Tom Goodman, Don Lyttle and Garrett Schaad.
A four-sport letterman at Pierce High School Barber was named to a total of seven All-Sacramento Valley League teams in his four years for the Bears, while additionally earning All-Northern Sections honors in both football and baseball. In track, he was the Division III champion in the long jump, triple jump and high jump in both his junior and senior seasons, then also earned a spot on the podium at the section Master’s Meets as well. A decathlete at Butte College, Barber was a member of two Golden Valley Conference championship teams for the Roadrunners and was selected as the Athlete of the Year in 2010.
After a decorated high school career in Williams, where he excelled in football and track in the mid-1970s, Boyes took his talents to Shasta College earning All-Conference honors as a cornerback for the Knights. Just as he had for the Yellowjackets, he helped propel Shasta to a conference championship. In doing so, Boyes would set a school record for the longest punt return (100 yards) which by all regards was considered spectacular. He continued playing football at Chico State, which was followed by a five-year stint as a winger for the Colusa Rugby Club.
With a passion for running, Goodman became one of the most decorated track and field athletes in Pierce High School history, earning more that 60 medals in his senior season alone as he dominated in the sprints and the long jump. He set school records in the 100-yard dash crossing the line in a time of 9.9, in the 220 with a time of 22.2 and a mark of 23-02 in the long jump. During his time at Pierce in the mid-1970s, the Bears won three Northern Sacramento Valley League championships. Additionally, Goodman contributed to the successes of the football and basketball teams during his tenure at Pierce.
Lyttle was a standout in both basketball and baseball for Colusa in the mid-1980s, although it was basketball where he went on to play collegiately. He finished his career at Colusa with 1,062 points and in 1987, his senior season, was the Northern Section’s top rebounder, helping to lead the team to the Division III state championship game where he scored 20 points in a losing effort. From there Lyttle went on to play at the University of the Pacific where he averaged 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds over a four-year span. Following college, he was granted a tryout with the Utah Jazz and then spent a season playing professionally overseas in New Zealand.
Hailing from Maxwell, Schaad was a three-sport athlete who as a senior for the Panthers was named All-League in football, basketball and baseball. After leading the Northern Section in tackles his senior year, he headed to Shasta College where was named the team’s Most Valuable Defensive Player and received All-Conference honors. From there Schaad went on to the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota and played for Coach Kalen DeBoer on a team that vied for the NCAA Division II Championship, before finishing his career at Southern Oregon University. He was inducted into the Shasta College Hall of Fame in 2017.
Last Saturday’s event also enshrined the 1977-78 Pierce Boys track team, which distinguished itself not only in the Sacramento Valley League but in larger meets throughout Northern California as well. Key members of the squad included the aforementioned Goodman, his brothers Tim and Jeff, Juan Diaz, Jon Kitamura, Juan Corona, Gil Obregon, Steve Perez, Pedro Amaro, Dan Abele, Mike Gonzales, Pete Sweet and Ray Diaz.
Receiving the Coach’s Award was Maxwell’s Shawn Miller, who between 2008-2017 guided the Panther softball program to five league championships and four section titles. He was also recognized for his commitment to ensuring the program remained strong by playing a vital role in improving the softball and Little League facilities.
In another special recognition, Keenan Jorge was honored with the Director’s Award. A true champion of the Williams community, Jorge was heavily involved in Little League serving as a coach and umpire in addition to helping maintain the fields. Along with his friend Charlie Morrow, the duo reestablished an adult softball league and founded the Co-ed Youth Basketball league that they operated for more than 20 years. Jorge was also instrumental in saving the city swimming pool and establishing a lifeguard training program for the county.
A final aspect of the evening centered around the presentation of the Senior Athletes of the Year, that represent the best of the five local schools and perhaps some of the future inductees to the Hall of Fame. Those acknowledged in 2026 were: Colusa’s Eric Gonzales and Shaheen Orr; Maxwell’s Olivia Roa and Tanner Vierra; Pierce’s JR Figueroa and Magali Jauregui; Princeton’s Reyna Sullivan and Nate Ramirez; along with Williams’s Jorge Saavedra and Lupita Zuniga.