High school football probe stretches to Samoa

LODI -- The Sac-Joaquin Section alleges coaches at Franklin High School in Stockton illegally paid for 14 players to come from American Samoa to play football since the 2004 season.

The section, which governs high school sports throughout the Central Valley, released the findings of its six-month investigation during a news conference Tuesday.

Those findings also allege that players illegally were housed with an assistant coach or relative of an assistant coach for the duration of their stay in Stockton.

Section officials are expected to announce penalties in October, but Commissioner Pete Saco confirmed one penalty will be the forfeiture of every victory since 2004. Three local teams -- Ceres, Johansen and Modesto -- lost to Franklin during that time. Ceres and Johansen lost playoff games to the Yellowjackets. Saco said it's one of the largest recruiting violations in section history.

See full story at modbee.com sports