2011 in Review: A year of hits and misses

The last 365 days in the Mid-Valley sports scene had its peaks and valleys.

Record-setting teams, memorable moments and off-the-field controversies made 2011 a diverse year in the annals of local sports history.

Here were the highlights:

Perfect Panthers

The Maxwell High baseball program had a season for the ages.

The Panthers finished the 2011 season a perfect 30-0 while setting national and state records along the way.

Maxwell's 2011 squad etched its name into the top five in 17 different statistical categories in the state record book. Several Panthers individually made their mark as well.

The Panthers' pitching staff set a national record with 11 no-hitters last year, including a combined effort from Tyler Wells and Steven Perry in the Northern Section championship game.

Longtime head coach Eric Lay stepped down with the best coaching record in state history. Lay decided to concentrate on being a father and spending time with his family.

West side glory

The Yuba City rivalry isn't one-sided anymore.

The River Valley Falcons' football team defeated rival Yuba City for the first time in six tries with a 34-29 victory in the Mayor's Cup.

It ended up being the game of the year in the Mid-Valley as Yuba City trailed 28-7 and came all the way back to take a 29-28 lead. In the fourth quarter, River Valley senior Jordan Pankey rattled off a 73-yard touchdown to give the Falcons a lead they would not relinquish.

The student body stormed the field, while several Falcons players and coaches shed tears on the sideline.

That victory was River Valley's first over the Honkers in any of the three major male sports (football, basketball, baseball).

Vandals attack — football game canceled

A storied rivalry in the Mid-Valley received a black eye in 2011.

The annual Battle of the Bell football game between Marysville and Lindhurst was canceled on Oct. 14 after eight members of the Blazers vandalized the Indians' campus.

The vandals defaced school property with paint, depicting inappropriate images and taunts toward the Marysville football team.

Those eight players were dismissed from the team and the Blazers forfeited the game.

Y.C.'s Holmes leads Ducks to national title game

The ending to Jordan Holmes' college football career was somewhat heartbreaking, but he and his Oregon Ducks went out in style.

The 2006 Yuba City High grad ended his five-year stint in Eugene, Ore., at last January's BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Ariz.

Although Holmes' Ducks made it close, Auburn's Wes Byrum kicked a game-winning 19-yard field goal as time expired to deliver a national championship to the Tigers with a 22-19 victory.

Holmes was a force on the Oregon offensive line where he was the team's starting center for two seasons, earning All-Pacific 10 Conference first-team honors as a senior. He was also a team captain.

East Nic's Varnum placed on administrative leave

A legal claim filed in September alleged that East Nicolaus head coach Mark Varnum was abusive and sexually inappropriate.

Later in that same month, Varnum was placed on administrative leave by the school district, which stated it was compelled to place Varnum on leave because of the adverse impact the legal claim's filing had on high school students and staff.

Longtime head coach Geoff Wahl, who returned to East Nic as an assistant in 2010, stepped down as an assistant during the season.

Assistant John Dolenga took over the team for the remainder of the season as the Spartans finished 5-5 and were ousted in the first round of the playoffs.

Gold Sox clinch crown

For the first time in five seasons, the Marysville Gold Sox were champions of the Horizon Air Summer Series.

The Gold Sox clinched the Don McCullough Division with a 9-5 victory over the Nor Cal Lon horns on July 31 at Appeal-Democrat Park.

Brandon Creel recorded a strikeout for the final out and was mobbed at the pitcher's mound by the entire team.

Marysville ended the season on a 20-game winning streak and overall compiled a 38-9-1 record.

Aside from the series championship, one particular Gold Sox had something else to celebrate.

Yuba City native Kenton Bevacqua signed a national letter of intent to play baseball for Oklahoma State, beginning in February.

Fantastic finish

About 70 yards of turf stood between Yuba College's football team and the Sierra Central Credit Union Bowl championship.

With 1:48 left in regulation, the 49ers trailed by six and hadn't led the entire game against Monterey Peninsula College.

Jeremy Williams decided to take things into his own hands.

He picked up 55 yards rushing on the final drive and punctuated it with a 10-yard touchdown run to give Yuba the win.

It was Yuba's first bowl game victory since 2006 when the Niners defeated Monterey in the Century Club Holiday Bowl.

Yuba keeps on truckin'

Another year, another success for the Yuba College men's basketball team.

Not only did the 49ers win their fifth straight Bay Valley Conference title, several players earned spots with Division-I programs.

BVC Most Valuable Player Julian Welch signed with the University of Minnesota after coach Tubby Smith made a trip to Linda to see him play.

Smith visited the area on Feb. 18 and came away impressed with Welch, a guard who is starting for the Golden Gophers this season while averaging 10 points per game.

Other D-I transfers for the Niners included Mike McChristian (Idaho), Julian Scott (Southern Utah) and Shola Diop (Winthrop). Since 2002, Yuba has sent 59 players to four-year universities.

Former Yuba superstar Zach Andrews signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in December, though was later released by the team.

Stassi in Stockton

After a season of playing baseball in Geneva, Ill., for the Kane County Cougars, Oakland A's prospect Max Stassi was a little closer to home in 2011.

Stassi made his debut with Oakland's High-A affiliate Stockton Ports in April, though his season didn't make it past May. He underwent season-ending surgery to repair nerve damage in the labrum of his right shoulder.

The Yuba City High product and 2009 fourth-round pick returned to his alma mater in November to hold the third annual Homers for the Hungry event, raising money for local food banks.

He should be back at full strength for the 2012 season.

Mac is back

He took a two-year break from the hardwood, but Brad McIntire couldn't ignore his love of the game for too long.

McIntire became head coach of the River Valley Falcons basketball team in September after spending the first 16 years of his coaching career at Yuba City where he also served as athletic director.

He has the Falcons at 10-3 out of the gate, the program's best start in its six-year existence.