Set the playing field equal, limit the activity of booster clubs to support supplies and travel costs. Jayson Jenks: 206-464-8277 or, cited in its report a preponderance of evidence that violations had occurred, 68-page independent report that found wide-ranging rules violations within the program, Bellevue football banned from postseason for 4 years, WIAA lifts Bellevue postseason ban, strips two state titles, Cedar Park Christian hires ex-Bellevue coach Butch Goncharoff, Two-year ban for Goncharoff ruled violation of union rights, After upheaval, sanctions, Bellevue ready to get back to playing football again, Report: Bellevue coaches violated rules for years, district obstructed probe, was placed on a three-year probation last year, district had proposed a suspension of the teams booster club along with meetings. This is another example of the incredibly flawed process that has been guiding this investigation for months. Butch Goncharoff is banned from coaching in Washington State, 3. BELLEVUE REBOUNDS AT HOME VS LIBERTY, TOUGH START FOR WOLVERINES AGAINST TOP RANKED OPPONENTS, Former UW Lineman Is Lead Blocker in Returning Bellevue High to Prominence, Yelm goes length of field to end Bellevue's state championship reign, 28-27, PHOTOS: Yelm edges past Bellevue, 28-27, to earn title shot, VIDEO Game Highlights from Lincoln Playoff Game, 3A Quarterfinal, Bellevues 43-yard field goal breaks the hearts and playoff hopes of Lincoln Read more at: https://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/high-school/article2, With Bellevue in need of a season-saving spark, Luke Scoma delivers - with his foot, Bellevue tops 400 yards rushing to beat Mead in 3A state football playoffs, Bellevue football team defeats Snohomish in non-conference game. While the Institute touts its focus on education at a full-time cost of $1,750 per month two former teachers label Academic Institute a diploma mill that doesnt adhere to basic educational standards. BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Bellevue High School football coach Butch Goncharoff told the school board Tuesday that an investigation of the football . Ask yourself these questions while you scan the details: Where in the name of all that is right were the parents? Coach Kneip said after the game, great to see our men get out and have fun tonight, energy on the sidelines was awesome. Have no fear, Bellevue Faithful, the East Channel Bridge rivalry is very much alive. The Bellevue booster club in a statement early Tuesday expressed disappointment with the sanctions. Freemans parents, Yusef and Allona, wrote in a letter this week to the school district that their son lived in the Bellevue attendance area. Goncharoff built Bellevue into a football dynasty. Bellevue wraps up undefeated season with 3A state title. NEWSLINE 425-453-4270. It should be a Homecoming to remember! Sanctions need to be put in place against the school as well as the BHS booster club to ensure the high-school programs for our conference and state are fair, as all sports should be. New coaching staff of young alumni lead Bellevue back to state football championship glory, Back on top: Bellevue beats Kennewick to win 3A state title behind William Wangs 243 yards, Bellevue runs over Marysville-Pilchuck to return to state football championship game, William Wangs career night lifts No. The Academic Institute was briefly involved in a athletic district investigation after the family complaint, but no one from the school spoke to investigators. OVERALL 9-3 0.75 Win % DISTRICT 6-0 1st3A KingCo. "That report will be forwarded to the WIAA, which will adjudicate the punishments and will allow Bellevue High School a chance to appeal.". Two former teachers told the Times the Academic Institute doesnt adhere to basic educational standards. Players need a 2.0 GPA with no more than one failing class to compete athletically. If that wasnt enough, the main boosters involved are discussing suing the conference over the penalties and coach Goncharoff says he has been set up. One family complained their son was told his scholarship at the Institute would be revoked if he stopped playing football at Bellevue. We asked our fans to vote for the 3A Players of the Year for Texas HS Football Podcast: Championship Series. 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. ", "Pretty serious stuff," Thiel said. How did parents move into a new apartment and never pay a dime of rent and never ask how that came to be? Among those, Freeman said Goncharoff directed him to attend the Academic Institute instead of studying at Bellevue. Therevelation is not a product of bias or envy. Good kids and families participated in Bellevuefootball, but there were also some people who stepped over the line. Darien Freeman has not returned multiple messages left for him last week. 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. 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. BHS cheated its own eligible students of playing. Arguably one of the best high school teams ever fielded in Texas, the 1988 Dallas Carter Cowboys were loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. With their sights set on a state championship run, the Cowboys began preparing for the playoffs. KIRO Radios Jason Rantz thinks they are just doing their job. And in years where cheating was determined to have occurred, titles should be forfeited. Usain Bolt defeats Justin Gatlin, defends 100-meter title. Bellevue will host Mead High School in the 3A Round of 16, this Saturday at Noon. Next week, both teams face a tough and up-and-coming Lake Washington team Varsity on Friday at LW (7pm), JV on Monday at home (7pm). Rescind the championship titles, and ban the team from any post-season playoffs for five years. The train wreck at Bellevue may be symbolic of much that is wrong with high school and college athletics and the creation of the entitled teenager and the grotesque flow of money into amateur sports. Rather than worry about imposing sanctions, it is more important that the Bellevue School District starts to do the right thing, going forward, meaning itneeds to replace the coaching staff, probably shun the booster club, and start exercising control by hiring a head coach who is also a teacher within the educational system., What sanctions are appropriate for people in positions of authority supposed role models for kids when they actively participate in or turn a blind eye to corruption and then do everything in their power to impede legitimate investigations? 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. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Varsity takes the field this Saturday (10/8) at Juanita, at 7pm, while the JV will face Juanita at home the following Monday. Members of the booster club have criticized the investigation, which was conducted bytwo former federal prosecutors hired by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). The Bellevue High School administrators who allowed this to happen should also face the loss of jobs or demotions. Rantz says he doesnt blame the parents whatsoever. There's just too much 'go along, get along' over the years. Coach Salonen said, We feel incredibly lucky to have the numbers to support a JV program this year, we love seeing the additional reps these players are getting, and the improvement that comes with those reps.. Editors note: After the original Seattle Times article of Aug. 23 the newspaper followed up with another article in which the parents of Darien Freeman disputed portions of the first article that were attributed to their son. Back to work tomorrow!. This is a public high school and a strong message needs to be sent that this type of practice cannot be tolerated. KingCo will have stricter guidelines and oversight for incoming transfer student-athletes for two years. Plenty of things we need to clean up for next week, though. If our society didnt place such a level of importance on winning at all costs, this type of thing wouldnt happen. The Colleyville Heritage Steroid . Yusef Freeman did not return a call Friday seeking comment on his letter. After the half, the BHS offense really got rolling, including a 44-yard TD run from junior Blake Teets, a 24-yard TD run from sophomore Ryken Moon, and a screen pass from Razore that junior Cal Zimmerman took 21 yards to pay dirt. An interception by Caymus Rooney sealed the first half, 34-7 in favor of Bellevue. Freeman met with a reporter on two separate occasions at a SeaTac restaurant. Among the violations, the 68-page report found thatplayers families provided false address to gain eligibility and that head coach ButchGoncharoff encouraged players to attend classes at a private alternative school where some of the players tuition was subsidized by the programs booster club. Bellevue High is an extremely successful football program. Dinner and dancing may have been the order of the day on Saturday, but on Friday night, Wolverine students packed the stands to see the Bellevue High football team demolish their crosstown rival Newport Knights. Of those 17 boys, seven were Bellevue football players. Other families allegedly acquired apartments within the schools boundaries, with the rent being paid by boosters. In the second half, the Highlanders were haunted by a flurry of big plays on special teams and defense, by the Wolverines. Which spelled out who could live in certain neighborhoods. The families of two other players have described how supporters of the football program had a role in coordinating scholarships for the players. Bellevue High School Football; Bellevue Football. The following Monday, the Bellevue JV had their first home game of the season, hosting Juanita. Bellevue High School, Wolverine Way, Bellevue, WA, USA Sat Nov 19 W 22-20 @ Lincoln High School "Abes" Lincoln Bowl, Tacoma, WA, USA - 701 S. 37th Street. Bellevue is not allowed to play out-of-state opponents for four seasons. The players reportedly got the steroids from a dealer named Big Mike who was a fitness trainer. 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. This has been, I dont want to say an open secret, but Im not surprised by the investigation, ONeil told Seattles Morning News. If you would like to share your thoughts or experiences in relation to this story, please email the reporter or. 5. You depend on KNKX for trusted, in-depth local news, music by knowledgeable hosts and enlightening NPR programs. Bellevue will be on bye this week, ahead of a Week 9 home game against Hazen to finish off the regular season. The Bellevue athletic department is on probation for four years. And booster club President John Connors told supporters over the weekend that litigation may be necessary to protect the program. Bellevue has also been the subject of a nearly year-long investigation by the KingCo Conference, the league governing body for high school athletics in King County.