It is a testament to the quality of basketball in our foothills-area and to the girls’ programs of Del Oro and Colfax and the boys’ program at Colfax that they are still playing.

Before Tuesday’s games only 14 boys’ team in Division IV for northern California were still competing, and only 12 teams in girls’ Division III and IV were still playing. These three programs are competing in the CIF State Basketball Championships.

The Colfax boys have become a regular participant in the NorCal Playoffs. This will be their fifth appearance in the last seven years, a remarkable achievement. Two times, in 2007 and 2008, the Falcons advanced to the semifinals of the NorCals before being eliminated by teams that would eventually represent northern California in the state championship game.

This year’s team, currently 26-5, received a No. 9 seed out of the 14 teams. The seeding was well-received by the Colfax High administration.

“We were happy with our seeding,” Colfax principal Rick Spears said. “We got a fair bracket and a nice draw.”

The Falcons opened on the road with Sutter, the Division IV North Section champ. For Colfax, this is a good news/bad news scenario. Over the last five years, only once has a team from the North Section won a NorCal playoff game. That’s the good news. The bad news is that team was Sutter, which won its first-round playoff game last year.

If the Falcons win their game, they will travel to the Bay Area to face perennial power St. Mary’s of Berkeley. St. Mary’s is the No. 1 seed for the NorCal playoffs.

Public schools have struggled versus their private school counterparts. At the Division IV level, over the last 22 years — the length of time since the inception of state playoffs — only six public schools have won a state title. Over the last five years, only one public school, Salesian, has participated in the state finals, beating Bishop Montgomery of Torrance last year.

Reasons for the dominance of private schools are numerous. One of the most commonly stated reasons is that private schools recruit. There is some truth to this, but it must also be clarified. Their primary recruiting tool is their success.

If one is a star athlete, it is tempting to go to a school that has a history of success in that particular sport. For example, a star basketball player in the San Joaquin Valley would find Modesto Christian quite appealing. A star football player in the East Bay would find De La Salle appealing.

Often over-looked in this discussion is the Christian foundation that most private schools offer. Many parents want to see their child receive an education with a Christian connection, regardless of the school’s athletic success.

For schools like Colfax, Del Oro, and even Forest Lake Christian who have competed and won with “home grown” talent, it makes success that much more rewarding.

Dave Krizman’s column runs Wednesdays in the Journal. Comment online at www.auburnjournal.com.