National HS Coach of the Year - Grace Under Fire

They say there are no hopeless situations; there are only men who have grown hopeless about them. But about this time last year, circumstances surrounding Miami’s Northwestern High School, one of the nation’s most respected football programs, certainly seemed hopeless. Antwan Easterling, one of the nation\'s most sought after running backs, was 19 years old at the time and had consensual sex with a 14 year-old freshman in one of the school’s bathrooms. Despite the fact that it was considered a crime by Florida state law, what’s worse is that Easterling’s coaches and even his principal knew it. Yet they let him play in Northwestern’s state title run last season. The title was appealed and lost; but the repercussions nearly crippled the once proud program. There was a grand jury investigation; the principal and athletic director along with 19 other school officials were