It started three months ago in an indoor arena in the mountains of Idaho and ended this past Monday afternoon in a courtroom in Alameda.

And, in between, the 2008 Colfax Falcons’ football team had a pretty respectable season.

The Falcons finished 6-4, were the lone team in the Pioneer Valley League not to be embarrassed by league champion Whitney and for good measure handed a Nevada State AAA finalist one of its lone two season losses.

But any chance of these Falcons getting a taste of the post season like the previous 11 Colfax teams had done before then ended Monday when an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of a player placed in foster care whose transfer eligibility issues resulting in forfeits had hurt Placer’s postseason hopes.

After listening to arguments from attorneys representing the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the state’s high school sports governing body and the National Center for Youth Law, the organization that intervened on behalf of the student, Judge Judith Ford ruled that CIF bylaws violate California state laws designed to ensure that children who change foster families and enroll in different schools are immediately allowed to participate in athletics and extracurricular activities.

With the ruling that restored Placer defensive back Dalton Dyer’s eligibility for the two forfeited Pioneer Valley League games, the Hillmen’s 6-4 record and 4-2 PVL mark pushed them past Colfax and into Friday’s Div. IV playoff game against Oakdale.

That this it even got to Monday’s courtroom decision is still hard for Colfax coach Tony Martello to fathom.

Martello’s team, after Placer was turned down by two CIF appeal committees to restore the forfeits, was bound for Oakdale with his team last Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. when a temporary restraining order was issued by Alameda County judge Frank Roesch to postpone the first round playoff game between the Falcons and Mustangs who were slated to meet for the fifth time in the past seven years.

At the time, Martello said that his Falcons would accept whatever decision was made but he wasn’t sure who was going to be the real winner in this instance.

“You want to say, who’s going to benefit here?” said Martello. “Oakdale? Colfax? For Placer, they look like they’re being rebellious and not accepting a governing body’s decision.”

“It’s tough for everyone involved,” said Martello.

The Falcons then practiced Monday morning awaiting the CIF decision and when the first round game would be played.

When Monday’s ruling came in the Falcons were surely disappointed.

“I haven’t seen the paperwork on why they overturned the CIF so I don’t want to comment,” said the Colfax coach.“But it’d be wrong not to hope Placer does well in the playoffs. Of course, we’re disappointed that we’re not playing.”

Until the National Law Center obtained the temporary restraining order last Friday, forcing what is believed to be the first postponement by a court order of a playoff game in CIF history and prompting Monday’s hearing, it had appeared that Placer High’s season was over.

Now, Colfax’s season is over.

“We had a good game plan going in for Oakdale,” said Martello. “Now we’ll never know how good though.”