‘Champions in our community’: Colfax falls in CIF state finals in a record-setting season
The end result wasn’t what they expected, but it’s the journey that especially counts. That and the understanding that 1,600 high schools dot the largest populated state in the country, and only a handful of them pushed their season to the final weekend.
The Colfax Falcons were one of those teams, and there’s a lot of honor in that. Coach Rexanne Simpton on Friday afternoon was in good spirits because she will cherish this record-setting season that even her gritty group could not project.
The coach was surrounded by players who fought back tears, anguished by a season that was suddenly over. A 22-game winning streak and a school-record amount of wins met its match at Golden 1 Center, where Los Osos of Cucamonga in San Bernardino County broke it open in the fourth quarter to win the CIF state Division III championship, 65-48.
Freshman guard Jackie Polk scored 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting, making 3 of 4 from 3-point range. With a shy smile, a shock of curly hair and a mouth full of braces, Polk was not at all awed by the venue or the stage. Her scoring outburst tied the state D-III record for most points in a final.
The unassuming 5-foot-5 guard later said she had a sense she could be a player in this sport at the ripe old age of 12. She’s now 14 and a paramount reason Los Osos won the first state championship for any sport.
Forty years after Colfax won its first CIF state D-III championship, the storied Falcons made another spirited run. With a roster full of home-grown kids who grew up playing sports together and dreaming of such good fun, Colfax coasted through the Pioneer Valley League, the Sac-Joaquin Section and the Northern California tournament as a team on a mission, improving by the week and united by their bond of commitment.
Players and coaches wore bracelets all season, a reflection of their sacrifice and to honor those they have loved and lost. This included players losing a classmate and Simpton losing a brother, Eric, to illness this postseason. Simpton said she has been inspired by her team, her girls. When players learned of her brother’s passing, they embraced her and said they can get through this together.
“These girls are warriors, and they fight every day, show up to practice and compete,” Simpton said. “They’re champions, win or lose. They’re champions in our community, champions to me, champions to each other.”
Simpton earlier this campaign made sure that her team was aware of the history of the program and challenged them to make their mark — the state titles in 1983 and ‘84, the 12 section championships, the 25 league championships and this record run that included a 34-3 record.
“Now we’re part of that history,” Simpton said. “All these little girls in our community are looking up to you. Hopefully, these girls know what they mean to the community and what they’ve accomplished.”
Today’s Colfax stars were once little girls who looked up admiringly to Falcons leaders just a few short years ago. Fourth-year varsity players Gabi Biitner and Maycee Heimann have been anchors, and they bowed out with typical all-out efforts.
Biitner, a guard and steady floor leader, had eight points, three rebounds, three steals and three assists. Heimann, a 5-foot-10 forward whose parents, Michelle and Justin, once starred at Colfax, had 15 points, eight rebounds, five steals and three assists. The future of the program is already a star in 5-10 sophomore post Juliette James. She had 15 points and nine rebounds.
Jade Biitner and Kaia Diederichs are the other starters who played big all winter, and they combined for nine points. Diederichs gutted this game out after straining her hamstring in a CIF NorCal championship soccer match, a season in which she shattered her own school records for goals scored.
At Colfax, athletes play multiple sports. This team had five players who compete in three sports, three who dabble in four and two who do two. The team grade-point average: A robust 4.0. None of them wanted the season to end.
“We were in control of our season,” Gabi Biitner said. “It was weird knowing it was our last practice.”
Simpton said the bench players and reserves played a big role. It took all of them to get here.
“You should see our practices,” she said. “They are brutal. They get after it. There are bloody lips.”
Another example of team grit? Sledding through the snow that nearly engulfed some of the homes of players, or at least the roads to get out.
“We had some storms,” Simpton said. “Some had to hike out a mile or so. Someone asked, ‘What happens if you can’t get out?’ If we have to walk two miles, we’re going to get out. That’s been us all year. We bring it. That’s been our attitude. They have nothing to be ashamed of. The other team had a better day. Sometimes that happens.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 7:27 PM.