Dallas Jackson
Rivals High Senior Analyst

Dallas Jackson is the high school sports expert for RivalsHigh.com. Send him a question or comment at DallasJ@Yahoo-Inc.com and follow him at twitter.com/rivalshigh.

As they walked off the football field following the game, members of the Tulsa (Okla.) NOAH Jaguars football team went their separate ways.

They had to: They are all home-schooled.

Sports provide one of the fabrics of high school life. Not wanting to miss out on that part of the experience, a group of home-schooled athletes in the Tulsa area formed one of the most unique high school teams in the country.

They don't have their own field, let alone a locker room. But they do have coaches, plays, uniforms - even cheerleaders. They also have plenty of victories and even a few college prospects.

To them, that's all they need.

"People underestimate us a lot," standout player Caleb Gastelum said. "We play regular high school teams and they don't understand that we are athletes. We are football players too."

Gastelum said he thinks there is nothing unusual about the situation.

"It is all I have known," he said. "We all think like that.

"We get up and do school work, then go to practice and then come home. Just like everyone else. The only difference is we don't have to actually go to school."

Joe Blankenship was working with One Hope, a North Tulsa inner-city ministry, in 2003. Football, however, was a big part of his life.

He had played football for the University of Tulsa; his brother was coaching at nearby high school power, Tulsa (Okla.) Union.

So when an association of home-schooled parents approached him about starting a football program, he was intrigued - but also skeptical.

He understood football was different from all other sports.

"If you are a bad coach for basketball, you have a bad team," Blankenship said. "If you are a bad coach in football you get kids hurt."

Home-schooled students usually are eligible to play sports for the school in their district. In recent years, however, parents of home-schooled kids are attempting to come together as their own unit.

That's why the Tulsa group approached Blankenship.

Not one to back down from a challenge - especially one that would help kids - he agreed to help put a team together.

In the fall of 2003, 20 kids show up to play. The problem was, Blankenship estimates 18 of them had "never put on football pads."

And from those modest beginnings a program was born.

There are a number of issues involving the start-up of a football team. The two biggest: Getting the necessary equipment to play and finding a field to play on after you do.

The funding of the NOAH program goes back to March 1998 when they formed a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit corporation in Oklahoma, allowing companies and individuals to donate.

While that has eased much of the strain on equipment it has not completely erased a major financial burden.

An insurance company also has come on board to offer supplemental insurance that would pay 100 percent of what the player's parents will not cover if there is an injury to a player.

As for a field, Blankenship said the team leases a local church lot to practice, but even that brings one big problem.

"We don't have a locker room yet," he said.

This makes getting into uniform an interesting issue.

"Sometimes the kids come in their gear and sometimes they change in the open air," he said. "I am sure the woods have been used for facilities on occasion as well."

There has been a pair of sheds erected for equipment and goal posts have been installed on the lot.

NOAH added Russell brand uniforms and they have a cheerleader squad of home-schooled girls in the area.

They even got a quasi-home field, playing games at nearby Tulsa (Okla.) Broken Arrow Middle School.

Attendance is mainly a mix of their parents and families plus whatever crowd the other side brings. After all, they have no student body.

But they do have one famous fan: Former Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry attends all the team's games to watch his grandson.

NOAH is not in a league. It doesn't belong to a group size. It is not eligible to compete in the Oklahoma state playoffs.

Then there's this basic question: How do the coaches know their kids are "going to class" and remaining academically eligible.

While NOAH, and Coach Blankenship, follows all the OSSAA rules for eligibility, there is no governing body for the team.

As it is with most aspects of home-schooling, there is a great dependency on the honor system.

"We ask them to be excellent in every aspect," Blankenship said. "Not just on the football field but academically as well.

"Some kids have had problems and we do everything we can to make sure they are getting things done properly."

Two-week grade checks and strict contact with parents are part of the process for players. But even that raises issues: No two players are taught the same.

There are no set regulations on home- schooling, so private tutors, extra help and the pace of learning can be adjusted to the individual.

"How our parents school and grade us is up to them," Gastelum said. "If you don't get your work done you don't play.

"I have books, take tests; it is just up to me to do it."

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is one of the greatest college players of his generation. He also was home-schooled and played football for his local high school team, Ponte Vedra (Fla.) Nease.

So while recruiting a home-schooled player is tough, it is becoming more common.

Blankenship has had a couple of his players head to junior colleges with a prospect of playing Division I football in the past; this year he says Gastelum has the talent to go straight to Division I ball.

"I have had some schools recruit me," Gastelum said. "Most are Division II, but a couple of Division I teams have called also. It is an honor."

Gastelum, at 6 feet 2 and 190 pounds, is getting looks from a variety of teams, including Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Arkansas State, Central Arkansas and Southwestern Oklahoma State.

Blankenship, however, says his young linebacker would be a great fit for a low-major Division I team and would be a valuable asset for any other Division I program.

DeBerry, who is the winningest coach in Air Force history, agrees.

"Whoever takes that kid will be very happy," DeBerry said. "He is a very good football player. His heart is twice as big as his body. He can play at the next level."

DeBerry said Gastelum may not be the only one.

"These kids think they are pretty darn good," he said. "That is half the battle thinking you can win.

"Coach Joe and his assistants have done a great job building a football program, not just a football team."

Blankenship didn't have to look far for a model for his program.

"We basically decided to mimic the successful teams in the area," he said. "We run Union's defense and University of Tulsa's offense.

"It has worked for us so far."

The Jaguars have steadily improved from their JV-only schedule.

The transition to varsity started in 2006 when it went 2-8; the Jaguars followed that with 6-5 and 10-2 seasons. This year's team was 7-3.

While the success is welcomed it has also caused scheduling problems. Without the benefit of a league, NOAH must find opponents who are willing to play them but who have open dates that work.

Filling one open date is tough; filling a schedule is much harder. The team will take on schools of all different sizes and abilities.

The 2010 Jaguars will face three teams from Oklahoma 5A and 3A, one each from 4A and 2A, and three other home-schooled teams.

"The last few years have been tough," Blankenship said. "But our 2010 schedule is something we are very proud of."

The ultimate goal is to figure out a playoff system. Gaining a spot in the Oklahoma state playoffs is not feasible. For starters, in what group size would such schools be placed? A bigger issue is enrollment area: Home-school programs, unlike traditional schools, are able to draw kids from an unlimited geographical area.

Two years ago, NOAH played host to Plano (Texas) Dallas HSAA North to take on a home-school team in what both called the unofficial home-school national championship.

With more home-school programs popping up each year, Blankenship said the ultimate goal is to create an official national tournament.

A playoff system wouldn't just determine a champion; it would go a long in showing what the players on NOAH already know: They are no different than traditional teams.

"When we are on the field we bring it," Gastelum said. "Some people are ready and some aren't."

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