Published: November 12, 2009 04:24 pm      

Class 2A playoffs will kick off Friday

OKLAHOMA CITY — Time officially ran out Wednesday on Jones High School’s appeal of last week’s decision by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activity Association to strip the school’s football team of six victories, and with them the District 2A-2 championship.

The OSSAA voted unanimously to deny an appeal of its earlier decision, and Wednesday’s ruling came too late to allow the Jones administration to file an injunction that could have delayed Friday’s first round of the Class 2A playoffs. Any further action would have to be sanctioned by the school board, and 48 hours notice is needed to schedule an emergency meeting. Because Wednesday was a holiday, Saturday was the earliest a meeting could be held — one day after the playoffs begin.

“I guess we’re going ahead as scheduled,” Sulphur coach Jim Dixon said Wednesday after learning of the OSSAA’s ruling. “It could have been a nightmare. We could have been waiting around for weeks.”

The Bulldogs, who finished third in District 2A-4 and are scheduled to travel to Lindsay for a first-round playoff game Friday, would — along with all of the other teams in 2A who qualified for the playoffs — have been affected by any action that delayed the start of the postseason. A legal fight might have postponed the first round for weeks, and the trickle-down effect could also have touched the basketball programs at the schools who remained in the playoffs.

The controversy surrounded Jones quarterback Daxx Garman, whose family established a residence in the school district but didn’t apply for a necessary hardship waiver. After receiving an anonymous tip last week, OSSAA official launched an investigation and informed Jones officials that they would be penalized six victories — five of them district wins — because the waiver hadn’t been filed.

A subsequent request to file the waiver was denied at Wednesday’s meeting, leaving Jones with no legal options and allowing the playoffs to begin as scheduled. Garman — who is still eligible to play at his former school, Carl Albert — withdrew from Jones High School on Wednesday and will transfer.

Because he illegally participated in eight games, he will be required to sit out eight games — although not necessarily football games — at the school to which he transfers.

“Nobody likes to see what’s happened today," OSSAA executive secretary Ed Sheakley said. “We want our membership to understand the rules and apply those rules correctly.”

With Jones having been stripped of five league wins, the 2A-2 title went to Millwood, and Meeker — which originally finished fifth in the district — will make the playoffs.

Jones joins Tulsa Washington, Sand Springs, Durant and Warner on the list of Oklahoma schools who have been forced to forfeit games this season because of eligibility violations. Class 6A No. 1 Jenks was also stripped of victories from the 2008 season.