The Franklin High Controversy

High school sports used to be pure, a tradition where kids from one area competed against kids from another. It was a tool used to teach kids good sportsmanship and the ethics of the game. Coaches, administrators, teachers and parents all involved in communicating the positive and negative aspects of both the game and its rules. High school sports was not defined by a win-at-all cost attitude led by adults.


Unfortunately these ideals have diminished even in our sacred San Joaquin Valley. If you follow high school sports, which I’m assuming you do, you are already aware about Franklin High School’s (Stockton, CA) 54 violations. Their punishment was stiff. The high school from the Stockton Unified School District received a 5-year ban from the playoffs. What this means is; they can play their 10-game regular season schedule but regardless of their record there will be no playoffs for the team.

Let’s examine whether or not this punishment is fair. At first glance you ask, well what did they do? I will explain briefly....Franklin High was found to have players that were recruited into their school from American Samoa. Now it’s bad when a coach goes into an opponent’s district and tries to lure a player to his school, but now we are going out of the Continental United States. Now that’s a little extreme and inexcusable. That is obviously not allowed in any high school. What is worse is that this has been going on for several years allegedly. The Modesto Bee has a very thorough piece found HERE.

Like any true journalist I must examine the other half before coming to a conclusion. Is it fair to the 7th grader in the Franklin High feeder school that will never get an opportunity to play in the playoffs? To be punished for something these kids had absolutely no control over seems to be unjust. What about the players in the past years that were born and raised in the Franklin district? This is where coaches, administrators and teachers have failed these kids. Of course no one is taking responsibility for what happened. If you ask, well you can ask, but you will get no response. The adults have showed us that cheating to win is far easier than teaching and coaching the kids in their district. Yeah some disagree; but look at the signals they are sending the kids in their district that attended their youth camps, played in their Pop Warner league, and attended all their high school games. What they are telling the kid is simple: sorry but if I go to American Samoa and bring a kid over for a couple years I may win a championship and quite simply you aren’t going to win me one.

So what is really the appropriate punishment in this situation? In my opinion, can the coach. There is no doubt in my mind, if these kids were really being imported over from American Samoa, that the coach was very well aware of the situation at hand. Coach didn’t stop it. Therefore, the coach should be gone. That’s where I would start. Get rid of the entire coaching staff. As the investigation continues, if they find any administrator that was an accomplice he or she must also get canned. No questions asked, just dismissed right on the spot. If parents where found to be hosting these kids and knew they were ineligible they should flat out be ashamed of themselves.

When will people understand that high school sports are for the kids? It’s for the love. It should be about teaching these young men (and women) how to be responsible adults. Just stop and think of the message we send these 16-17 year olds about cheating when the authority figures in their lives are cheating right in front of them.

If you have an opinion, let us know what and why in the Comments.

More on this story from:

Sacramento Bee
Stockton Record
Modesto Bee
USA Today



Other Central Valley questionable moves:

1999: Clovis West basketball team with super sophomore Charlie Rodriguez who ended up being the Danny Almonte of basketball. Yes Charlie was a little to old to be playing high school basketball.

1999: Mark Reese, new Chowchilla head coach at the time, had Lance Mitchell transfer to Chowchilla from Los Banos High School. The move didn’t last long as Mitchell returned to Los Banos as they were being investigated. Mitchell went on to be an all-American linebacker for the University of Oklahoma and get drafted by the Arizona Cardinals.

2001: Super-hyped basketball stud Antonio Lawrence comes from Jacksonville, FL to join coach Will Hooker at San Joaquin Memorial for his senior season. Lawrence went to play college basketball at San Jose State and entered the NBA draft after his freshman season but was not drafted. He was a great football player by the way, I always thought he should of played football in college instead. Also on team was super-freshman Dwain Williams who only lasted a year at Memorial then went back to Temecula in Riverside County. His freshman year he averaged 18 points and 6 assists. Williams is currently entering his sophomore season at Providence College.

2002: Ja’Vance Coleman transfers to basketball powerhouse Washington Union for to finish off his career. Nothing was ever ruled on this, but many people found it odd. Then again many people found it odd that Vonn Webb always had the best talent in the Central Section and most of his players transferred to him.

2003-2004: Top 25 basketball recruit Robert Swift transfers from Garces High Memorial (Bakersfield) to Highland High School and then to Bakersfield High. The 7-footer was initially ruled ineligible for the entire 2003-2004 season, but the ruling was later over-turned. Swift went on to play with Bakersfield High and got drafted by the Seattle Supersonics, where he currently plays.

2007: Clovis East football head coach Tim Murphy gets a 4-game suspension for recruiting a 7th grader.

2007: Many people are questioning how the super-talented Clifton Rogers ended up in Bullard’s district. He was a Hoover High School student just last year. Rogers is leading the Knights to a 7-1 season.