Jones player ineligible, Little Axe, Lexington move up

By Jeff Johncox

Little Axe and Lexington got some good, though unexpected, news from the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Thursday.

According to Little Axe coach Tony Smith, who was alerted of the decision Thursday evening, Jones quarterback Daxx Garman has been ruled ineligible by the OSSAA.

Reached by The Transcript Tuesday night, OSSAA director of officials Mike Whaley could not confirm the identity of ineligible player, but did confirm a decision had been reached that causes Jones to forfeit six games, inlcuding five district 2A-2 games, a district Jones was in line to win.

Instead, the Longhorns new season record is 1-8, 1-5 in the district.

Similar to a scandal involving Class 6A Jenks, which led to the supsension of Trojan coach Allen Trimble, the OSSAA was tipped off to the situation at Jones by anonymous e-mail. This time, however, the ineligibility was caught mid-season, and the decision has playoff implications.

The forfeits make Millwood district champion, Little Axe the second-place team and Lexington third; though the Bulldogs have to beat Centennial tonight to keep their spot. Meeker, which can also claim the third spot, is No. 4.

"I'd heard it was a possibility," Smith said. "I don't put much thought into rumors, though. I thought it was a far-fetched possibility."

Smith said he first heard of the questions surrounding Garman's eligibility from another coach last week, but didn't think much of it. The issue heated up on message boards at coachesaid.com, a Web site that covers high school sports throughout the state.

"The decision by the (OSSAA) staff is that (Jones) played an ineligible player and games will be forfeited," Whaley said. "Obviously, this has playoff implications."

Whaley went on to say that he expected Jones coach David Martin and school officials to be appealing the decision next Wednesday in front of the OSSAA board of directors, leaving open the possibility Jones could still be declared district champs before the playoffs begin next Friday.

"I understand football coaches would like to know by Saturday who they're playing next week," Whaley said. "But with this situation, it may not work out that way."

Garman, who transferred into Jones in the offseason, is among the best quarterbacks in Class 2A, having completed 134-of-210 passes for 2,107 yards and 23 touchdowns against seven interceptions.

He was on the field when the Longhorns downed Little Axe 35-13 Oct. 9, and when they beat Lexington 10-7 Oct. 23. He was also under center when Washington beat Jones 8-7 in non-district play Sept. 18.

Lexington was going into the Centennial game needing a win or a Meeker loss to ensure a playoff spot. Now, assuming the decision isn't reversed on appeal, the Bulldogs have reached the postseason.

"We can't allow this to be a distraction for us or allow us to say 'We don't need to perform well,'" Lexington coach Brad Beller said. "We still need to work hard and gain momentum going into the playoffs. We have to make the most of the opportunity afforded to us."

The biggest change for Little Axe is it will host a playoff game for the first time in school history. It was already the first postseason trip for the Indians.

"Obviously, the kids are excited they'll be playing at home," Smith said. "But I don't root for bad things to happen to other teams, so good things happen to us."

While Beller and Smith are both pleased with their improved playoff situations, neither were happy with the ineligibility situation.

"We hate to hear this about Jones," Beller said. "I hate to hear that seniors affected by it are playing their last game tomorrow night, kids that did everything right. You hate to hear it."

Jeff Johncox 366-3535 jjohncox@normantranscript.com