High school football: 14 straight

BY MATT BAKER World Sports Writer
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
12/09/09 at 11:23 AM

Mike Strain’s blog: World Sports Editor Mike Strain looks at four possible reasons for the Jenks-Union dominance, and we ask you for your opinion with an online poll.

Union or Jenks has been the Class 6A state champion for the last 14 years in a row.

And after a third consecutive Trojans-Redskins showdown in the state title game, it's not clear when or how another team can crack the dual dynasties.

Opposing coaches say Union and Jenks have developed four key advantages over almost every school in the last two decades. They're larger. They have better facilities and more coaches. They have the best youth programs, and they have the best talent.

Other schools such as Broken Arrow and Owasso are ramping up feeder programs and building new facilities to try to compete, but coaches say it's difficult to play catch-up when Union and Jenks are already so far ahead.

"I know we're going to beat ourselves on our back and pump our chests and say how wonderful we are, but it's apples and oranges, I'm telling you," said retiring Broken Arrow head coach Ron Lancaster. "It's not the same."

Bigger student body

One of the biggest reasons why Jenks and Union are successful is their size, according to some coaches.

Union's enrollment last year was 4,322 — second-largest in the state — and Jenks was third at 2,903, according to the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association.

Broken Arrow (4,462) remains the largest school in the state, but other 6A opponents are considerably smaller. Bartlesville has 1,703 students, and Muskogee (1,397) has less than one-third of Union's enrollment.

A larger student body creates two advantages. It increases the odds of a team having a rare, top talent, and it helps build bigger rosters. That means more competition for starting spots and fewer athletes playing both offense and defense.

Bartlesville head coach Ron Smith said his team had 55 players this season. Union had 110 on its state-championship roster.

"Felt, Okla. has 14 students. We're closer to Felt's size than we are Tulsa Union's size," said Lawton coach Randy Breeze, whose school has 1,763 students.

"It would be ridiculous for us to play a team with 14 kids in their high school, but we're closer to that situation than we are Tulsa Union's."

Some coaches say the advantage of a larger school is overblown. In the middle of Jenks' string of six straight titles, the Trojans' had the fifth-highest enrollment in the state — 1,700 behind Broken Arrow.

And if size were the only reason Union and Jenks dominate football, they'd also have a dynasty in basketball and baseball.

"I think that's an excuse that some people use to try to justify the fact that they're not as good as they are," Owasso coach Bill Patterson said.

"I don't care if you've got 100 students or 4,000 students. You've got to roll up your sleeves and go to work."

Community support

Another reason for Jenks' and Union's success is community support. Their weight rooms and stadiums are considered to be the best in Oklahoma and on par with every state college except for Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Union spent $22 million on its activity center, which opened in 2003. Jenks dedicated its new facility, the $5 million Sharp Center, in 2006, and Patterson said he can already see the results.

"They're a bigger, stronger, thicker, more physical football team now," Patterson said. "They're taking a mid-range kid and making him into a stronger, more physical player."

Funds from the community and school administrators have helped Union and Jenks flourish.

Union spent $173,915 on its football program (eighth grade through varsity) in the 2008-09 fiscal year, excluding salaries and benefits, according to the district. About $79,000 of that figure came out of a bond fund.

The team produced $289,393 in revenue, including regular season games, season-ticket sales, donations and camps, according to the district.

Jenks budgeted $105,000 (excluding salaries) for its football team in the 08-09 fiscal year and estimated revenue at $200,000, excluding playoff revenue, according to Jenks Public Schools.

While Union and Jenks are spending six figures, Owasso spent $63,793 and Claremore spent $27,997 last season, according to the districts.

"Their coaches and community have built facilities, and they are offering a high school football experience like no one else," Bartlesville's Smith said. "That's why Owasso's building. That's why Bartlesville turfed our field. We're trying to keep up."

Opposing coaches rank Jenks' Allan Trimble and Union's Kirk Fridrich among the top in the state, and districts pay them twice as much as some of their peers.

Fridrich is to receive $109,176 this year, including coaching and football camp stipends but excluding benefits such as insurance.

Trimble was to earn more than $102,000 this year, before his indefinite suspension by the OSSAA. He will forfeit half of his $16,243 coaching stipend.

Comparing those figures with other 6A coaches, Owasso's Patterson received about $67,000 last year. Claremore's Rob Gilbreath is to receive $52,430 this year, and Memorial's Tony Daniels will receive $41,860, according to their districts.

Youth programs

A third reason why Union and Jenks have dominated is their youth programs.

Elementary school athletes run similar systems and use similar terminology as their high school teams, so by the time they get to the varsity team, they have several years of experience in the system.

"That's that numbers thing again," Smith said. "They're all on the same page, unified, organized. It's tough."

Opposing coaches debate whether 7-year-olds running the spread offense will help a high school 10 years from now, but youth programs have another perk — parental involvement. Parents get involved in their children's games, and they stay involved.

"One thing Union and Jenks both have is a parental base," said Breeze. "They're very much into their child's lives and making sure they eat right and go through the proper steps to get to the situation where they can play high school football at the highest level possible."

That leads to the final theory — Union and Jenks have the top talent.

"They've got the best players," Bartlesville's Smith said. "It's that simple."

Most of their rosters are homegrown talent, but some talented players move into their districts. Coaches interviewed for this story didn't accuse Jenks or Union of illegally recruiting players, despite Jenks' recruiting violations which led to Trimble's suspension.

Instead, coaches said, their success has made top talent want to be a Trojan or Redskin, so parents move their children there.

Former Jenks star Kejuan Jones started his high school career at Hale before joining the Trojans, and former Redskins standout Dominique Franks said he moved from Owasso to Union to prepare himself for OU.

"They have great programs, they have great numbers, they have great facilities," Del City coach Nick Warehime said. "Surely there are parents who want their kids to be a part of that, and they find a way to get themselves into that school district."

Opposing coaches were clear on one other point — Union and Jenks deserve their success. Coaches explained their disadvantages but refused to make excuses.

Instead, they are trying to follow the Jenks-Union model by beefing up their youth programs or building new facilities so they can topple those dynasties and build their own.

"If you want to beat them," Broken Arrow's Lancaster said, "you better join them — and surpass them."

Matt Baker 581-8358
matt.baker@tulsaworld.com

Associated Images:

2009: Union 52, Jenks 19
Tulsa World file

2008: Union 34, Jenks 20
Tulsa World file

2007: Jenks 42, Union 24
Tulsa World file

2006: Jenks 28, Enid 7
Tulsa World file

2005: Union 33, Mustang 7
Tulsa World file

2004: Union 27, Jenks 17
Tulsa World file

2003: Jenks 17, Edmond Santa Fe 10
Tulsa World file

2002: Union 52, Broken Arrow 3
Tulsa World file

2001: Jenks 38, Putnam City North 28
Tulsa World file

2000: Jenks 31, Union 12
Tulsa World file

1999: Jenks 14, Union 7
Tulsa World file

1998: Jenks 41, Union 28
Tulsa World file

1997: Jenks 56, Yukon 8
Tulsa World file

1996: Jenks 28, Midwest City 17
Tulsa World file

Union senior defensive lineman Alec Henry kisses the championship trophy following the Redskins' win over Jenks in the Class 6A title game last Friday. STEPHEN HOLMAN/Tulsa World