Bellevue will host Mead High School in the 3A Round of 16, this Saturday at Noon. Voted as the KING 5 Sports Big Game of the Week, the 4-2 Wolverines once again headed north on 405 for a KingCo 3A showdown, this time with the 4-1 Lake Washington Kangs. I have known athletes who have told of offers made by colleges. SEATTLE An independent investigation into the Bellevue High football team uncovered "significant and long-standing violations" of state sports rules and extensive evidence that the team's. Playoffs: No postseason games for four years, Boosters: No donations to program for four years, Games: Only KingCo 3A opponents for two years; no out-of-state opponents for four years, Transfers: Stricter guidelines, oversight for incoming transfer students for two years, Championships: Vacate Bellevues conference titles if WIAA determines that state titles should be forfeited. Department of Commerce officials say communities will need diverse housing options in the future as well. Rantz says he doesnt blame the parents whatsoever. The final score is simply listed as Brady 1 Stamford 0 in the states record books. School District officials are planning to fire the head coach, Bellevue coaches clearly violated eligibility rules for years, Clemson gets commitment from 4-star North Cobb RB David Eziomume, Vermont HS girls basketball team forfeits rather than face transgender opponent, USA TODAY Sports Super 25 high school basketball rankings, week of Feb. 27, 2023, Sierra Canyon 4-star small forward AJ Swinton commits to Virgnia Tech, Imhotep Institute CB Kenny Woseley names top 4 schools, commitment date, Centennial boys basketball 3-peats as champions with buzzer-beater dunk, 'The Last of Us' actor, deaf youth hockey player meets Alexander Ovechkin in heartwarming video, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Cheerleaders capture the crowds attention during the game, but one group of Texas high school cheerleaders captured the attention of the entire nation due to their outlandish behavior. They were outlandishly gravy training on their 17 or 18 year old kids football ability. Allow only the students living within the boundaries to participate. NEWSLINE 425-453-4270. It's finally come to a head. Any booster associated with this mess be banned from any financial or booster club membership for two years. The startup funding should be part of the investigation. Accepted a Bellevue resolution that it will not renew contracts for two years of coaches who violated the WIAA rule that stipends and gifts of more than $500 must be approved by the school board. Washington state wants to be a leader in climate change, but I sense that the voters are not as concerned about that these days. Rescind the championship titles, and ban the team from any post-season playoffs for five years. The Wolverines will face Snohomish High School, at home this Friday, in the Week 10 Crossover round. But many of those accomplishments are in jeopardy, because of a scandal that has now reached the punishment stage. Have no fear, Bellevue Faithful, the East Channel Bridge rivalry is very much alive. Usain Bolt defeats Justin Gatlin, defends 100-meter title. The coach should be a faculty member and actually teach classes., These coaches and families have only helped these kids progress in a more beneficial way through life. (Image courtesy Bellevue Wolverines Facebook), (Image courtesy Bellevue Wolverines Facebook). The players spent 75 days in the districts alternative school after the incident. Following the string of robberies, six players were sentenced to prison with terms ranging from two to 25 years. The conferences action sets a precedent that should raise a red flag to everyone, the statement said. The final report did not mention the Academic Institute. Location: Bellevue . Hopefully something like that will come out of this mess.". BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Bellevue High School football coach Butch Goncharoff told the school board Tuesday that an investigation of the football . "They said four years of probation for the entire athletic department, a four-year ban for football on postseason play, and also non-conference play, as well as inviting any out-of-state opponents to play Bellevue High School. How did the adults never ask how it was that their kid was taking classes in a $1,750 per month school, yet they never got a tuition bill? KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says it's a symptom of a much bigger problem.Media Probe. Its no surprise that we tend to have a lot of conversations about entitled young athletes. The SHIBA program part of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner is ready to help with your Medicare open enrollment decisions. 56-0 win over Juanita! An interception by Caymus Rooney sealed the first half, 34-7 in favor of Bellevue. They recently had a 67-game win streak snapped in the state championship game last December. No, its not something we want to teach our kids as the right thing to do, he said. This isnt a player finding $100 cash in his locker. All the coaches involved should lose their jobs and be required to return any money they received that was above the amount they were legally entitled to. Washington needs more than 1 million homes in the next 20 years, Islanders speak out against Lava Ridge Wind Project, WA Lottery reveals Auburn woman as winner of $754.6 million Powerball jackpot, Victim energy is a siren song to which we must stop our ears | Whales Tales, Teams roll into action on renovated South Mercer Playfields. One player who attended the Institute told the Times he took one class without a teacher, and the school's director gave him a book and test questions to study. "The Bellevue High School football cheating scandal is 'American Greed' at it worst.". An Auburn woman has won the $754.6 million Powerball jackpot. Really? BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Bellevue School District officials and booster club members are fighting back against a blistering report that alleged recruitment violations within the Bellevue High. The western-themed student section brought the energy all night, and the Wolverines did not disappoint. Carter High . It was so one-sided and evident that something was different about this team in comparison to the other nine teams Liberty played against., For every year they won the state championship, that should be the number of years they are not qualified to compete in theplayoffs. We asked readers for their thoughts on what repercussions the Bellevue football program should face, as well as what the scandal says about high-school sports. Mostly because they were too busy taking advantage of the whole in the system for their own benefit. 1 Bellevue back into 3A state semifinals: 4 observations, Week 11 Playoff Matchups - Bellevue 42, Lakes 21, (Nov 12, 2021), This website is powered by SportsEngine's. ONeil, however, says its misguided to think playing for Bellevue will be a ticket to free higher education, even if its a slightly more noble idea than parents creating super teams to win high school championships. Final score, 49-6, Eastlake. Other families allegedly acquired apartments within the schools boundaries, with the rent being paid by boosters. The Wolverines got off to their usual fast start, with a whopping three rushing touchdowns from Ishaan Daniels, another from Carson Rubin, and a passing TD from Lucas Razore to Hogan Hansen. HOME 5-1 AWAY 4-1 NEUTRAL 0-1. I think that theres a lot of different layers to understanding exactly what is going on., Related: Teen football player tackles suspected shoplifter. And in years where cheating was determined to have occurred, titles should be forfeited. He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America, and is a voting panelist for the Outland Trophy, the Nagurski Award, and the Biletnikoff Award. I think the system is prone to corruption. If our society didnt place such a level of importance on winning at all costs, this type of thing wouldnt happen. Bellevue footballs promotion of a culture of cheating is a broadly understood fact. We will continue to defend our right, and the right of booster clubs around the state, to make these activities available to kids.. Then, on Monday, the JV took the field north of the lake, against the Bothell Cougars. BHS cheated its own eligible students of playing. Yes, the Catholic schools do recruit, but they are not funded through public money. The players reportedly said the refereewas using racial slurs and said they were instructed to hit the ref by their coach, Mack Breed. A series of three books describing the storied history of the Bellevue High School Football program, and the investigations that surrounded the team from 2006 to 2018. We asked our fans to vote for the 3A Players of the Year for Texas HS Football Podcast: Championship Series. The Wolverines will look to build on their learning from week 1 and 2 as they start KingCo 3A conference play against Liberty High School this Friday. Which spelled out who could live in certain neighborhoods. "It's not just Bellevue. 2023 Bonneville International. Coach Kneip said after the victory, Amazing atmosphere tonight!! Next stop for the Wolverines (13-0) is the state championship game the Gridiron Classic versus Kennewick at noon on Dec. 4 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. By: Logan Newman, https://usatodayhss.com/2016/bellevue-wash-expected-to-fire-coach-butch-goncharoff-cheating-scandal, Bellevue (Wash.) expected to fire coach at center of alleged football cheating scandal. Top-ranked 3A Wolverines get all they want for three-plus quarters, but Wing-T (342 rushing yards) generates big fourth-quarter scoring plays to pull away. I think its terrible when parents get involved and start trying to tilt the playing field for high school sports, he said. And we wonder where entitled athletes come from? GSBA, Comcast, and other partners are working to address disparities in access to financial resources with the Ready for Business fund. 4. The only actual answer is likely that they didnt know and they didnt care to know. Touchdowns from Sharp, Jones, Reed, and freshman Trevin King kept the Bellevue offense on top, for a 49-22 win. Of those 17 boys, seven were Bellevue football players. Bellevue High School offered a Physical Education program (football) not offered by this sham institution. I found this story on USA TODAY High School Sports and wanted to share it with you: Kirsten Kendrick has been hosting Morning Edition on KNKX/KPLU since 2006. In both games, seniors Ishaan Daniels and George Kruger were standouts. This begins the discussion of the penalty phase of the violations, and there are several steps working through that process, said Mike Colbrese, WIAA executive director. Last year, after a Seattle Times story detailed how numerous Bellevue players had taken classes at The Academic Institute, a private alternative school that former teachers described as a diploma mill, the school district called for an independent investigation. 2021 State Champs! 1 talking about this. Butch Goncharoff is banned from coaching in Washington State 3. You cheat, you steal, you lie. The most successful and the private schools are usually those that get accused. This is a public high school and a strong message needs to be sent that this type of practice cannot be tolerated. All Rights Reserved. You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwest and Crosscut.com. That leads to what the money was used for. Volunteer to help people understand their Medicare options! Art Thiel is a co-founder and writer for the rising sports website Sportspress Northwest. Here is a selection of the. Even private schools require the students attend classes at that institution and make the grades to play, not go to a strip-mall diploma mill., The Seattle Times closes comments on particularly sensitive stories. Video Highlights of State Championship New coaching staff of young alumni lead Bellevue back to state football championship glory Senior William Wang piled up 182 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 32 carries, and the Bellevue defense was tough as the top-seeded Wolverines laid a 27-3 licking on No. Along the way, competitors have complained that Bellevue was bending the rules. At the crux of the scandal is a well to-do family that made their money in the trash/waste management industry. Maybe there is some truth to some stories, and maybe it is just random speculation, but it is out there, usually in the private school arena. Come one, come all! He openly shared details of his high school experiences, saying he felt like the program was putting kids in a poor position to succeed after high school and that he didnt want to see the program have a negative impact on others in the future. And I think the only thing that can be a positive is major reformation. On November 10, the UIL shocked Dallas Carter and the entire state when they announced the Cowboys were ineligible for the playoffs. Mind you, this is not the kind of booster club that has bake sales to pay for road trips. Daniels got the second half rolling with his fourth house call of the game, and Luke Scoma added a late field goal to give the Wolverines a 44-13 win. 1 Bellevue back into 3A state semifinals: 4 observations Sat Nov 26 L . The win marks a return to the top for a former state juggernaut that won eight state championships from 2001 to 2011. to Bellevue so college recruiters will notice you; its absurd., An independent investigation found a series of potential violations on the Bellevue High School football program. 5 Marysville-Pilchuck on Saturday in the early game of the Class 3A semifinal doubleheader at Memorial Stadium. He's not going quietly. Varsity takes the field this Saturday (10/8) at Juanita, at 7pm, while the JV will face Juanita at home the following Monday. Updated: 7:13 PM PDT July 8, 2016. "And if you can wiggle around with all of these variances in the rules, then they've got a real problem.". Freemans parents, Yusef and Allona, wrote in a letter this week to the school district that their son lived in the Bellevue attendance area. Among the players who have attended Academic Institute were those instrumental in Bellevues recent 67-game winning streak: Myles Jack, a linebacker now at UCLA; Marcus Griffin, a defensive tackle at the University of Arizona; and Max Richmond, a wide receiver at the University of Washington. Bellevue High's football squad completed an undefeated season by winning the 3A state championship with a 17-13 triumph over Kennewick High on Dec. 4 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. But KingCo officials saw Bellevues problems as requiring more severe sanctions. The Bellevue High (Seattle) football team is reportedly aided through a "diploma mill" private school, according to an investigation by The Seattle Times . June 29, 2022 Posted in&nbspkawasaki monster energy jersey. The deluge culminated in a 34-0 halftime lead for BHS. With the pregame pageantry and TV interviews done, the Wolverines got to work making the Big Game a big blowout. In the second half, Bellevue let their young guns get a taste of the MI rivalry under the big lights, and played out the remainder of the game under a running clock. Mercer Island Football Booster Club President, 1988-89. Thiel said the complaints have been leveled at the Bellevue High School football program for years, but the scandal erupted after an investigation by the Seattle Times last year. Adults knew this was going on for years. It was a reminder of the Wolverines glorious past that got them fired up this week thanks to comments from Marysville-Pilchuck star running back Dylan Carson that fueled them for Saturdays matchup. Agreed with Bellevues conclusions that athletes used false addresses to gain eligibility, and that payments were made to coaches without approval from the school district. I am old enough to remember corruption being the norm in the old Southwest Conference: fake jobs, hundred dollar handshakes and far, far worse. Published: Oct. 14, 2022 at 6:55 PM PDT. However, the school often had no teachers in the classrooms; little, if any homework was ever given, and the players received full class credit. "They also discovered compensation to the head coach, Butch Goncharoff, of $60,000 a year that was well in excess of what the standards are for high school coaches.". We asked readers for their thoughts on what repercussions the Bellevue football program should face, as well as what the scandal says about high-school sports. The following Monday, the Bellevue JV had their first home game of the season, hosting Juanita. A 68-page report found that players' families provided false address to gain eligibility and that head coach Butch Goncharoff encouraged players to attend classes at a private alternative school. ", "Pretty serious stuff," Thiel said. The KingCo Conference is a 16-team conference [and] their athletic directors decided some fairly draconian punishments. In order to remedy the violations, the district had proposed a suspension of the teams booster club along with meetings, training programs and policy reviews to ensure rules are followed in the future. I have been watching professional and college sports for more than 40 years, and have been covering college football for Last Word on Sports for two years. They said Goncharoff never gave the family money to pay for rent. Video Highlights of State Championship New coaching staff of young alumni lead Bellevue back to state football championship glory They don't have subpoena power because this is a trade association. KingCo left the question of whether Bellevue should forfeit state titles up to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). Set the playing field equal, limit the activity of booster clubs to support supplies and travel costs. Bellevues head coach and athletic director be fired immediately, 2. That probe confirmed some of the problems that The Times found and also detailed other issues, including families that had used false addresses to gain eligibility, a school district that had obstructed the investigation and evidence that Goncharoff had been paid beyond the bounds of WIAA rules. He played for the New York Giants and Washington Redskins and was a five time Pro Bowl selection. Fire them all immediately.. It's the entire structure that needs reform and a lot of attention. In an article about how Bellevues success was aided by a small private school, Freeman, 20, told the Times that he lived in four different cities during his years with the Bellevue football team Sammamish, Bellevue, Auburn and SeaTac. 1 Bellevue past No. Bellevue football players worked hard thats how they won. KingCo will vacate Bellevues conference titles if the WIAA determines that state championships should be forfeited. The NFL is the big example. But the programs remarkable success has depended, in part, on players who werent actually Bellevue High students. In the second quarter, junior Carson Rubin got on the board with an thrilling 80 TD run, Razore completed his second TD pass of the day (once again to Hansen, of course), and senior DB Caymus Rooney took an interception 40 yards to the house. KingCo will have stricter guidelines and oversight for incoming transfer student-athletes for two years. Bellevue school officials have previously told Bellevue head coach Butch Goncharoff that the district will seek to terminate him for violations of district policies. The evidence shows that the practices KingCo now is penalizing including summer sports camps for kids and paying coaches for extra work outside of the season were approved by Bellevue School District and are shared by many, many area schools, the statement said. The players were ejected from the game, suspended and an investigation launched. Here's the AP story SEATTLE (AP) - An investigation into illegal recruiting has resulted in the suspension of Bellevue High School's head football coach, Butch Goncharoff, and the team being placed on probation. Comments (-1) BPS Summer STEM Camps. From changing grades and playing ineligible players to substance abuse and violence, these five scandals marred the face of the king of all sports in Texas. Rantz is much less critical of the Bellevue parents saying that, assuming the allegations are true, putting a student in the position to gain a college scholarship is a noble pursuit. Wangs 64-yard burst up the middle with four minutes left gave the top-seeded Wolverines (14-0) the winning margin. Students at a private school without a football team can play for a public-school team in their home district. As crime increases, our safety measures must too, GSBA is closing the disparity gap with Ready for Business Fund. Theyre going to find you. Staff reporter Mike Baker contributed to this report. The Times uncovered 17 instances. On the eve of a Halloween weekend, the Bellevue faithful showed up in droves (and costumes) to celebrate another fantastic class of Bellevue High seniors. Among those, Freeman said Goncharoff directed him to attend the Academic Institute instead of studying at Bellevue. 9 Rainier Beach into WIAA 3A state semifinals, William Wangs career night lifts No. Due to state-wide ref shortages, the Wolverines trip to the jungle at Mercer Island High School was moved from Friday night to Thursday. We love to see the kids have fun and play ball. Court records from an eviction case also show a Yusef Freeman was renting an apartment in Sammamish in 2009. Thiel said Goncharoff has been quite vocal about his innocence. There are absolutely no facts to support KingCos conclusion they have foolishly relied on the false inferences of the WIAAs original report, Goncharoffs statement said. Latest Updates. Bellevue High's football squad completed an undefeated season by winning the 3A state championship with a 17-13 triumph over Kennewick High on Dec. 4 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. It is high time to clean up this mess. The Bellevue High (Seattle) football team is reportedly aided through a diploma mill private school, according to an investigation by The Seattle Times.