Top sports stories: Colusa girls soccer tops Williams for title

For the third consecutive year, Williams High pushed Colusa to the brink of defeat, but for the third year the RedHawks answered the challenge and conquered the Yellowjackets in the Northern Section Division III girls soccer championship game.

Colusa needed penalty-kick shootouts to beat Williams in the previous two championship games, but claimed a back-and-forth 3-2 victory during regulation on Feb. 25.

The RedHawks (11-3-1, 5-1) won their sixth section title in the past seven seasons, and the trophy is the fourth in a row for retiring coach Randy Watt — who won a title in each of his four years as head coach. The section championship is the first since Colusa changed its mascot from Redskins to RedHawks.

Four years ago Watt took over for Rick Colson and put together a 60-6-4 record en route to winning four section titles.

"I think the first two (titles) are because Rick Colson left me some good players. Last year was a harder year to coach and this year was the hardest year because we had less experience and we moved a lot of people around trying to find the right combination, but we found it," Watt said.

Williams (6-6-2, 1-3-2) took the lead late in the first half on a long goal by freshman forward Isabel Contreras.

Colusa tied the game early in the second half when senior forward Mickie Wilson, who didn't play soccer the previous three years, knocked in a loose ball three minutes into the second half to tie the game 1-1.

Junior midfielder Rebecca Velasquez kicked a rebound in the 65th minute to give the RedHawks their first lead of the game and Sandra MacPherson added an insurance goal in the 73rd minute off a corner kick.

The Yellowjackets pulled within one on a goal by junior midfielder Celeste Navarro in the 76th minute before time ran out.