Neither Heideman nor any Boulder Creek administrators were immediately available for comment prior to leaving for the Thanksgiving holiday break. Players said  they were not given a reason for popular Heideman’s dismissal.

“We went in to talk to Principal (Kevin) Imes and some of the parents were asking him questions and he wouldn’t even give them a direct look,” said junior Miguel Ortiz, a varsity player. “They won’t tell us why he was fired.”

Heideman led Boulder Creek to a 2‑8 record this year, the school’s first at the varsity level. The coach told many of his players who are in his seventh‑hour systematics class that he was fired.

Ortiz said a group of about 10 players met at Native New Yorker later in the night and decided to protest in the school parking lot the next day. Word spread to players and they met at Heideman’s parking spot at 8 a.m., Nov. 22, to stage their protest.

To end the protest, administrators reportedly called a meeting with the players in the gym to air their concerns.

“They told us if we stopped protesting they would tell us why he was fired,” Ortiz said. “But when we got in the gym, they didn’t really answer the questions.

“We think that the administration doesn’t like him personally. The program is going fine. He helps students bring grades up academically. He’s not just about football. He’s like another father to me. I’m very sad.”

Reach the reporter at jason@thedesertadvocate.com.