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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Classic rivalry to end

Steve Christilaw Correspondent

The latest trend is to celebrate high school rivalries with commemorative mementos. Stinky Sneakers, Rubber Chickens, Groovy Shoes. They’re grand events, community theater complete with costumes and song-and-dance numbers. In some ways, the event has grown to overshadow the very game for which it was created.

And then there the classic, old-school rivalries that are events all by themselves. For years, Colfax and Freeman have enjoyed just such a rivalry. It’s been old-school in every sense of the word.

Colfax has been a fixture of Class 1A high school sports for a half century and an athletic history that stretches back even farther – to the days when the school was known as Steptoe High. Freeman, too, has a long history that dates back to the days of Rockford High and Lindbergh High in Valleyford.

The Colfax-Freeman rivalry has been the mainstay of the Northeast A League while other schools have come and gone.

After this year, however, Colfax will leave. Declining enrollment made the Bulldogs the state’s smallest Class 1A school the past two seasons. Next year they join the Class 2B Bi-County League.

The Bulldogs have a Class B pedigree – winning back-to-back state boys basketball championships in 1946 and 1947.

“It’s always special whenever we play Colfax,” girls basketball player Carley Heinen said. “The gym is always filled and it’s always just a little louder. Especially this year, because it’s the last time they were going to play here in a league game. It was kind of bittersweet.”

Colfax games always mean a bigger gate at Freeman, athletic director Brian Parisotto said. The gym is always packed for basketball and volleyball games. The visitor’s stands are always filled for football games – both home and away.

“We tried to talk them into opting up and staying in the league because it’s been such a great rivalry for us,” he said. “If we’re not playing, we’re rooting for them and vice versa – I think that carries over to our whole league. It’s been a very healthy rivalry for us all.”

Colfax has been a fixture of Class 1A high school sports for a half century.

The Bulldogs are a two-time state Class 1A football champion, winning titles in 2001 and 1981 and was the runner-up to Lynden Christian in 1997. Colfax won back-to-back state baseball crowns in 2002 and 2003 and the boys basketball program won back-to back titles in 1978 and 1979

But it’s been in girls sports where Colfax has been dominant.

The Bulldogs are the only school in any classification to have won four consecutive championships in a team sport – winning the past four state championships in both volleyball and girls basketball. The Bulldogs are in the playoffs and will likely vie for a fifth straight state title next month at the Yakima Sun Dome.

Colfax has been a state volleyball power since 1982, missing only three state championship fields, in 1983, 1987 and 1992. The Bulldogs have won nine state volleyball titles out of a dozen appearances in the championship game.

Girls basketball has won five of the past six state titles and made eight championship game appearances since 1999 and have been in every state field since 1998.

Longtime Freeman volleyball coach Kenny Davis knows all about Colfax’ volleyball prowess – enjoying a long-standing rivalry and friendship with Bulldogs’ coach Sue Doering.

Tucked far away from its nearest Class 1A competition, the NEA would almost always be limited to just one state tournament berth. Colfax and Freeman would often both be ranked in among the top five teams in the state and both be sure-fire state trophy winners. One, usually Colfax, went to the big dance; the other stayed home.

The Scotties did break out in 1981, winning the state title. Colfax won the first of its state championships the following season.

The schools met for the 2004-05 state girls basketball championship.

Colfax won the first of its four-straight titles the season before with a senior-dominated lineup that included two future college athletes – center Natalie Shaw, who played college basketball at Montana Tech, and Lizzie Mellor, who played Division I volleyball at Eastern Washington.

In 2004, the Bulldogs were a freshman-dominated team while Freeman entered the state tournament as the No. 1-ranked team in the state. Colfax knocked off the Scotties just once in five meetings – in the state finals.

In the swan song for this rivalry, both teams are ranked in the state’s top 5. In their three meetings thus far, the teams each won on their home floor, with Colfax winning the district title game on a neutral floor.

The potential for one final state tournament showdown remains.

“We’ve been talking and hopefully we continue to keep them on the schedule for non-league games,” Parisotto said. “It probably won’t work out with football, but we think we can keep it up with volleyball and basketball. We definitely want to.”