trojan37
10-18-2009, 06:46 PM
Weekend Notes: Oklahoma power Jenks facing controversy
Sooner State football juggernaut 5-0 on the field this season, but facing suspension of head coach and athletic director in the wake of investigation.
Monday, October 05, 2009 By: Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Photo by Keith Owens
One of the nation’s leading high school football coaches, Allan Trimble, of Jenks, Okla., has been suspended from his football duties for the remainder of the 2009 season, Superintendent Kirby Lehman told the Tulsa World.
Athletic director Tony Dillingham also has been suspended for 15 days and assistant football coach David Alexander has been suspended for two games.
Following an investigation by a Tulsa law firm, Trimble was found to have helped a current Jenks player, Jarrett Lake, move from Virginia last year and be allowed to rent a room in the home of local booster Clyde Griffith, who now is banned from the program. Lake later moved in with the family of a teammate.
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association ruled that Lake never did meet residency requirements. Therefore, the perennial state-champion Trojans had to forfeit nine games from last year and their Class 6A state runner-up trophy.
Lake, a University of Oklahoma recruit, was ruled ineligible for his senior campaign. A 6-foot-2, 210-pound wide receiver, Lake caught 20 passes last year for 600 yards and five touchdowns.
For the past 13 years, Trimble’s teams have dominated Oklahoma’s largest class, compiling a 162-17 record with nine state titles – six of them in a row. They have often been ranked among the nation’s elite.
“It’s just a mess and keeps on getting more and more complicated,” Tulsa World sports writer Barry Lewis told MaxPreps. “As far as on the field, I don’t think it will have any effect.”
The Trojans played under the guidance of interim head coach Loren Montgomery, who was the offensive coordinator, on Friday at Sapulpa and rolled to an easy 62-27 victory.
“Those guys – even with distractions – are such a solid, strong team when the lights come on and the band begins to play," Sapulpa coach Trandy Burch, who has faced Jenks 22 times, said. “With that offensive line, it didn’t matter if Knute Rockne was coaching. And that’s not to down-play Allan. Those guys are built to succeed.”
Over the weekend more allegations have been revealed concerning other players who have graduated. The rules violations – involving seven players dating to 1998 – included illegal recruiting and monetary gifts.
“To me, it’s a complete shock,” Daniel Cameron of the Jenks Gazette said. “Everybody here has so much respect for Tony Dillingham and coach (Trimble). I’d say everybody in the district is shocked – except for students from (arch rival) Tulsa Union.
“Kids are resilient and they’ve got all that talent. But it probably will be from one week to the next (how they react)."
Cameron, who is a 1991 graduate of Jenks, noted that the OSSAA is meeting on Wednesday night and he fears the worst.
“I’m guessing that they will deny any postseason play,” Cameron said. “I don’t know if they’ll get the nuclear bomb and destroy the program.”
LINK (http://www.maxpreps.com/news/_iICcbH2Ed6OEwAcxJTdpg/weekend-notes--oklahoma-power-jenks-facing-controversy.htm)
Sooner State football juggernaut 5-0 on the field this season, but facing suspension of head coach and athletic director in the wake of investigation.
Monday, October 05, 2009 By: Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Photo by Keith Owens
One of the nation’s leading high school football coaches, Allan Trimble, of Jenks, Okla., has been suspended from his football duties for the remainder of the 2009 season, Superintendent Kirby Lehman told the Tulsa World.
Athletic director Tony Dillingham also has been suspended for 15 days and assistant football coach David Alexander has been suspended for two games.
Following an investigation by a Tulsa law firm, Trimble was found to have helped a current Jenks player, Jarrett Lake, move from Virginia last year and be allowed to rent a room in the home of local booster Clyde Griffith, who now is banned from the program. Lake later moved in with the family of a teammate.
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association ruled that Lake never did meet residency requirements. Therefore, the perennial state-champion Trojans had to forfeit nine games from last year and their Class 6A state runner-up trophy.
Lake, a University of Oklahoma recruit, was ruled ineligible for his senior campaign. A 6-foot-2, 210-pound wide receiver, Lake caught 20 passes last year for 600 yards and five touchdowns.
For the past 13 years, Trimble’s teams have dominated Oklahoma’s largest class, compiling a 162-17 record with nine state titles – six of them in a row. They have often been ranked among the nation’s elite.
“It’s just a mess and keeps on getting more and more complicated,” Tulsa World sports writer Barry Lewis told MaxPreps. “As far as on the field, I don’t think it will have any effect.”
The Trojans played under the guidance of interim head coach Loren Montgomery, who was the offensive coordinator, on Friday at Sapulpa and rolled to an easy 62-27 victory.
“Those guys – even with distractions – are such a solid, strong team when the lights come on and the band begins to play," Sapulpa coach Trandy Burch, who has faced Jenks 22 times, said. “With that offensive line, it didn’t matter if Knute Rockne was coaching. And that’s not to down-play Allan. Those guys are built to succeed.”
Over the weekend more allegations have been revealed concerning other players who have graduated. The rules violations – involving seven players dating to 1998 – included illegal recruiting and monetary gifts.
“To me, it’s a complete shock,” Daniel Cameron of the Jenks Gazette said. “Everybody here has so much respect for Tony Dillingham and coach (Trimble). I’d say everybody in the district is shocked – except for students from (arch rival) Tulsa Union.
“Kids are resilient and they’ve got all that talent. But it probably will be from one week to the next (how they react)."
Cameron, who is a 1991 graduate of Jenks, noted that the OSSAA is meeting on Wednesday night and he fears the worst.
“I’m guessing that they will deny any postseason play,” Cameron said. “I don’t know if they’ll get the nuclear bomb and destroy the program.”
LINK (http://www.maxpreps.com/news/_iICcbH2Ed6OEwAcxJTdpg/weekend-notes--oklahoma-power-jenks-facing-controversy.htm)