Rise from the ashes: Forest Lake Christian's rapid rebuild continues with NorCal quarterfinal win

Three years ago, Collin Widing decided to take a chance. While coaching multiple sports at Clear Creek School in Grass Valley, Widing tossed his name into the mix for the Forest Lake Christian girls basketball coaching job, unsure where the opportunity might lead. "I just kind of threw a random name out there," Widing said. What he stepped into was a program searching for stability. A wave of student departures left Forest Lake Christian's athletics programs depleted, and the girls basketball team was starting almost from scratch. Three seasons later, the Falcons are back among the elite small-school programs in the state. Fresh off capturing the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championship last week at Golden 1 Center, No. 3 seed Forest Lake Christian continued its postseason run Tuesday night, defeating No. 6 St. Vincent de Paul of Petaluma 56-43 in the CIF NorCal Division VI quarterfinals. The victory sent the Falcons (19-8) to the NorCal semifinals for the first time since 2020 and marked another milestone in the rapid rebuild of the program. When Widing arrived, he knew the foundation would have to come first. "I came in with the mindset that this was going to be bare bones," Widing said. "That first year was really just foundational basketball, just basic things that unfortunately they weren't able to have before." With a constantly evolving roster and many players still learning the game, Widing focused on teaching fundamentals and building trust with his players. The Falcons won eight games in his first season, but they weren't in the cellar for long. By last season, the Falcons doubled their win total from the year before and expanded into more advanced systems and offensive sets as the program began to stabilize. "The girls trust that I have the knowledge and they trust me when I teach them things," Widing said. "They have a willingness to learn." Widing says he still recalls the moment he knew this team had the potential to do something special. The late-season surge began to take shape Jan. 27 during a home win over Foresthill, when Widing noticed a shift in the team's maturity and confidence. "I saw them start trusting each other and trusting the system," Widing said. "Since then, it's just been smooth sailing." The Falcons showed that composure again Tuesday night. After St. Vincent de Paul (18-14) briefly grabbed the lead in the first half, Forest Lake Christian responded with a 14-0 run to open the third quarter, turning a tight contest into a comfortable lead and energizing a packed home crowd. "That composure is huge," Widing said. "We have five seniors that bring a lot of that." For longtime followers of the program, the Falcons' resurgence feels familiar. Forest Lake Christian established itself as one of the Sac-Joaquin Section's premier small-school programs in the early 2000s, winning three consecutive section championships in 2003, 2004 and 2005. The 2004 team captured the CIF Division V state championship. The Falcons returned to prominence again in recent years, reaching the Northern California finals in 2019 and winning a section title in 2020. That 2020 team also advanced to the NorCal championship game before the season was halted due to the pandemic. Now, Widing's group is writing the next chapter. Beyond the wins, Forest Lake Christian's resurgence has reenergized the school's tight-knit community. Tuesday's NorCal playoff game drew a packed gym, with Falcon supporters filling the stands and creating a postseason atmosphere that rivaled much larger programs. "This community is one of the most amazing communities I've ever been a part of," Widing said. "They really took me in with open arms." With the section championship secured and a NorCal semifinal ahead, the Falcons know they've already etched their names into school history. "It means so much," Widing said. "This is the hardest-working group I've ever coached. If it wasn't for their determination, we wouldn't be here." The Falcons will continue their run Saturday when they visit No. 2 Redding Christian in the semifinals.