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Patch has teamed up with T-Mobile to celebrate five standout athletes whose achievements have left a lasting impression on our community.

Patch In Town, Patch Staff

Sports have a way of teaching invaluable life lessons — building character, fostering teamwork and strengthening the bonds within a community. In the Chico area, these values have shaped some truly remarkable athletes from different eras, whose accomplishments continue to inspire.

Patch has teamed up with T-Mobile to spotlight five standout athletes whose achievements have left a lasting mark on our community. While this list is just a snapshot, there are countless others who have helped shape the rich sports culture in our area.

Aaron Rodgers is a renowned NFL quarterback who hails from Chico. A four-time league MVP and Super Bowl XLV champion, Rodgers spent 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers before joining the New York Jets. Known for his precision passing, record-setting touchdown-to-interception ratio and clutch performances, he has led the league in numerous statistical categories. As a former California Golden Bear, Rodgers set college records before being drafted in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Chico native Ava Knight is a world-class boxer and mixed martial artist who held the IBF female flyweight title from 2011 to 2012. Known for her aggressive style and technical skill, she has fought for world titles in three weight divisions and won the WBC Diamond belt in 2012. Knight later transitioned to MMA, making her debut with Bellator in 2019. In 2024, she joined the Las Vegas Hustle in Team Combat League, boxing’s first squad-based format. Knight is also a former WWE Tough Enough finalist.

Chico-born professional wrestler Brian Cage, known for his powerhouse style, competes in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH). The former Impact World Champion and FTW Champion has built a reputation as one of wrestling’s most dominant figures. Before AEW, he gained recognition in Lucha Underground, Impact Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. He is a 2002 graduate of Pleasant Valley High School.

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Emily Azevedo, a Chico native and former UC Davis track athlete, became a U.S. Olympic bobsledder and competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Specializing in the two-woman event, she placed fifth in Vancouver and won silver and bronze medals at the FIBT World Championships. Azevedo, a former 100m hurdler, switched to bobsled after being inspired by the 2006 Winter Olympics, quickly excelling in the sport.

A standout golfer from Chico, Kurt Kitayama has made a name for himself on the PGA Tour with a victory at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational. A former Chico High School basketball star, Kitayama transitioned to golf and played at UNLV before turning pro in 2015. After gaining experience on international tours, he became the fastest player in European Tour history to win two events, capturing the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and the Oman Open in 2019. Now competing on the PGA Tour, Kitayama continues to rise as a top contender.

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CHICO, Calif. - Butte County officials are taking urgent action to address the risk of flooding in the Five Mile Basin through Bidwell Park and Chico.

The increased flood risk was caused by a buildup of sediment in Big Chico Creek, Lindo Channel, and Sycamore Creek that's gone largely unchecked. The problem has increased after the Camp and Park Fires.

On Tuesday, the Butte County Board of Supervisors told the public works department to expedite the sediment removal plan by submitting environmental requests. At Tuesday night's Chico City Council meeting, Butte County Public Works Director Joshua Pack updated council members on the county's response. Most of the affected residential properties lie within Chico's city limits.

Pack said the county cleared the basin of debris until the 1990s. Pack said in 2001, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife issued a cease and desist order blocking efforts to clear sediment, citing environmental issues. The county continues to face challenges getting state permits to clear the waterways.

Pack said the public works department estimates that 67,000 cubic yards of sediment have been deposited in the basin over the last few decades. That amount equals 4,500 truckloads. Butte County Public Works is in the process of installing remote monitoring cameras on the two diversion structures so they can quickly identify any flooding issues.

Pack said the Park Fire in July 2024 presents additional short-term concerns. He said before the Park Fire there was not an imminent threat of a storm causing widespread flooding. But the problem is trending in the wrong direction. The sediment removal would take 3-5 years to complete. To read Butte County's full analysis of Sediment at Big Chico Creek/5 Mile Basin click here.

Tuesday night Pack explained to the Chico City Council the plan could cost more than $7 million. Chico City Councilmember Tom Van Overbeek said it's clear this is an urgent issue. "We're playing Russian roulette every rainy season with the situation until we get that stuff out of there," VanOverbeek said.

One option for funding the project would be a parcel tax on 15,200 property owners adjacent to the Five Mile Basin. The areas is called the CSA 24 Mud Creek Drainage. Of the affected properties, 85% of them are in Chico. That could amount to about $500 per property. A parcel tax would have to be approved by the affected voters.

During public comment Steve Depa suggested forwarding the request to Governor Newsom's office. Newsom has vowed to ease environmental regulations for the Southern California wildfires. Depa suggested Butte County officials ask Governor Newsom to waive environmental regulations for the sediment removal.

"We have a tremendous risk," Depa said. "We know the risk it's been quantified. We have multiple government agencies standing in our way. Let's just send it right to the governor and say 'This is on your desk now Gavin.'" Why battle 5-7 years when we flood out 15,000 parcels in Chico."

Also at Tuesday's meeting, the council voted to join other neighboring communities in the Pioneer Community Energy Project. It could lower electric bills in the future and could start in October of 2027. Chico joins neighboring communities that have either joined or are considering joining the Pioneer Community Energy Project. That includes Oroville, Paradise, Butte County, Sutter County, Nevada County Live Oak, and Yuba City.

Troy Kent remembers standing in the outfield and chatting with Thade Miller as the two played catch during a March 9 game at Stanislaus State last season. They were commiserating about both having “o-fers” going. Miller told Kent he was in danger of losing his hitting streak, and Kent realized he was facing the same fate—it was the first time he even thought about the streak.

With one last chance in his final at-bat, Kent lined an RBI double in the gap that led to a five-run inning, secured an 11-2 victory, and kept his impressive, but still under-the-radar 13-game hitting streak going.

It didn’t stay unnoticed for long. Kent kept hitting, and Wildcats fans started paying attention. By the time it was snapped during the final game of a four-game series at Cal State LA, his hit streak stood at 22 games, and he had tied Wildcat legend Daniel Code in the program’s record books.

The hitting streak fueled an outstanding 2024 season in which Kent hit .346 with 17 doubles, 8 home runs, and 49 RBIs and was named All-CCAA First Team, ABCA All-West Region Second Team (2024), D2CCA All-West Region Second Team. He acknowledges it is special to co-hold an all-time record, especially at a program with as much success and history as Chico State. But at the time, his primary focus was on winning games last year as the team battled down the stretch to make the CCAA tournament.

“It was a cool thing, but it did get a little stressful the longer it went,” Kent said. “Baseball superstition being what it is, my teammates didn’t bring it up to me, but I knew they were talking about it. I tried to keep from pressing and swinging early in the count and instead wanted to keep my focus on helping the team.”

Kent, a native of Huntington Beach, came to the Wildcats from Santa Ana College and did plenty of winning and hitting during his junior college career. He earned the Golden Bat award, given to the program’s top hitter, as a member of the 2023 California Community College Athletic Association State championship team.

“He was a guy we really wanted coming out of Santa Ana, and for us to get him was big,” said head baseball coach Dave Taylor. “He came in and gave us what we expected and needed. He’s just one of those good left-handed hitters with a great swing. His batting practice is fun to watch. He can hit for average and for power and will be an important piece of our lineup.”

That lineup will be bolstered by left-handed hitting outfielder Carson Case, a standout and Kent’s former teammate at Santa Ana College, and senior catcher Daniel Vierra who hit .351 on the year with 6 home runs and 34 RBIs.

Taylor envisions a versatile lineup with extra base power, but also one capable of running more than last year.

“We want to be aggressive and put pressure on the defense to create more scoring opportunities,” he said.

On the mound, the Wildcats have options with seniors Jeremy Keller, Tyce Ochs, and Joseph Loubert, along with transfers Rocco Borrelli (Los Medanos) and Aaron McCurley (Fresno City), competing to be starters alongside returning All-CCAA honorable mention pitcher Marco Ibarra. The bullpen, though less experienced, showed promise during the fall.

“We’ll have some leverage guys coming out of the ‘pen but the closer’s job isn’t settled yet,” said Taylor. “The bullpen is a little unproven, but a lot of our late innings guys had a good fall.”

While Kent has already proven himself, he continues working to get better. This offseason, he focused on adding strength to his 190-pound frame and honing his consistency at the plate. Off the field, he’s on track to graduate in May with a degree in kinesiology and hopes to pursue professional baseball before transitioning to coaching.

Taylor, while noting he wants Kent to stay in the moment and not try to live up to last year’s numbers, says that he has a post-graduation future in professional baseball.

While he knows getting on base, hitting for power, and driving in runs is his role, one thing Kent isn’t thinking about is another long hitting streak.

“If it happens, it happens but I want us to compete at the highest level we can, and then hopefully that leads to us winning a conference championship and going even further. That’s what motivates us,” he said.

The Chico State Baseball team opens the 2025 season on Friday, January 31 at Point Loma. Their home opener is Thursday, February 6 against Northwest Nazarene at 2 p.m. at Nettleton Stadium.