Good sports

Chico has had a history of producing athletes who have found success beyond high school and community college—49ers wide receiver Mike Sherrard and Pirates pitcher Nelson Briles, to name a couple. In recent years, names like Rodgers and Canney have crept onto national sports pages.

Here are five local sports figures who have the potential for bigger breakouts, in the way Amber Simmons has for Chico State women’s basketball.

Aaron Rodgers
The 22-year-old Chico native could see a lot more playing time for the Green Bay Packers with the cantankerous Brett Favre staring straight into the twilight of his career.

People already know his name around these parts, where Rodgers dominated local gridirons in a short period of time. At Pleasant Valley High, Rodgers passed for 4,419 yards during his junior and senior years, a school record. During his only season at Butte College, in 2002, he led the Roadrunners to a 10-1 record, a Nor Cal conference championship and a No. 2 national ranking.

Rodgers headed to Division I UC Berkeley in 2003 along with fellow Roadrunner tight end Garrett Cross (also a Packer). After sitting the bench for the first five games and watching the team go 1-4, Rodgers took the helm and the Bears went 7-3, including a memorable 34-31 home victory over the top-ranked USC Trojans. In 2004, Rodgers led Cal to its best season in 50 years (10-2).

After being selected as the Green Bay Packers’ 24th pick in the first round of the 2005 draft, Rodgers started three games last season, completing nine of 16 passes for 65 yards and one interception. Now playing with the big boys and with the possibility of taking a few more snaps, Rodgers may finally get his chance to make a name for himself in the NFL. There’s no doubt locals will be tuning in to watch the Rodgers saga unfold.

Eileen Canney
Growing up and playing softball in the lazy burg of Paradise, Eileen Canney had dreams of one day vying for a title in the Women’s College World Series. Of course, most young athletes do. But the 21-year-old Canney actually lived out that dream last season for Northwestern University, pitching the Wildcats into the finals of the WCWS, the first time the team had made it there in 20 years.

Individually, the 6-foot righty was equally impressive. Canney was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, posting a stellar 1.20 ERA. Add to that her 26 wins and 383 strikeouts (the second-highest single-season totals in NU history), and it’s no wonder she and her teammates like their chances for a return appearance in 2007.

After the big series, in which the Wildcats fell short against seven-time champion Arizona, Canney told CN&R that after a well-deserved break she’d be ready to start training and do it all over again: “I really think we have the opportunity to make it all the way, make it two games further than we did this year.”

Brett Ratliff
Another impressive athlete who came out of the consistent Butte College football program, Brett Ratliff won the starting quarterback job at the University of Utah this season. The Utes are off to a 3-1 start, and Ratliff has completed 60 of 110 passes for 800 yards and eight touchdowns to one interception.

In 2005, “Ratty” played in five games, including two starts, and passed for 642 yards with eight TDs. In his first start, the 6-foot-4, 224-pounder led Utah to an upset over BYU in overtime.

Like Rodgers before him, Ratliff dominated in high school and junior college: He set school records at Chico High for average passing yards per game (249), as well as single-game attempts and completions. At Butte College, it was more of the same, hauling in the career touchdown record (41).

The scouting report on Ratliff says he “has deceptive speed” and is “extremely confident and poised under pressure.” He should make for fun Saturday afternoons camped out in front of the boob tube with a few cold ones and some chips and dip.

Kiara Reed
Chico High athletic director Bob Hanson says Kiara Reed is a “very competitive” athlete and “leads by example.” While those descriptions might rank right up there with “gives 110 percent” and “taking things one day at a time” in the lexicon of coach clichés, Reed does back it up.

The 17-year-old senior won the Northern Section track finals in the 400-meter dash earlier this year with a time of 59 seconds. Reed has also played varsity basketball since her sophomore year and even played one year of football, all the while holding down a 3.27 GPA.

Hanson says Reed’s “excellent attitude” matches her athleticism and she’ll have no problem making the jump into college athletics.

“In track, she’s just fast,” Hanson said. “In basketball, she can just flat out out-rebound opponents and change the game.”

Dave Taylor
Not an athlete, but definitely someone to watch in the coming year in local sports, Dave Taylor recently stepped into the hefty cleats of Lindsay Meggs, who stepped down as Chico State baseball coach to take over at Division I Indiana State.

Of course, this will be no easy feat. In 13 years at Chico State, Meggs led the Wildcats to two national championships, seven trips to the Division II College World Series and eight conference championships.

Taylor is only stepping in on an interim basis, but he could prove to be just the guy for the job. He was right there alongside Meggs as pitching coach for Chico State’s 1997 and 1999 title runs. As a head coach, he led Cal State LA to a 36-16-1 record last season and the third-highest win total in the program’s history.

Looks like it could be business as usual for Chico State baseball.