"No matter what form it takes, it is not allowed in the district," he said. "It's disappointing some students would think something like this would be OK."

Whitehead said he sought out the victim of the third attack after it was brought to his attention. The other two incidents were discovered by police investigating the third case.

"I just put my arm around him and said, 'I sure hope to see you at practice today,"' Whitehead said. The boy showed up at practice and was embraced by teammates and coaches. "He's been contributing to our team."

Whitehead said the support of the school's administration and the swift action by other players and coaches have actually helped the team members grow closer. He said that while he has sophomore team coaches who work directly with those players, "all of the players are under my stewardship."

He said he met with the players immediately after the investigation occurred and explained why it was unacceptable behavior. He said it is interesting to note that the sophomore team is having more success since the incidents occurred.

"I think they saw that the head football coach is more concerned with them developing into good young men than just winning games," Whitehead said. "The varsity team has rallied around the sophomores, and they understand that there's more to life than football."

The three students were scheduled to be in court Oct. 11.

---

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com; adonaldson@desnews.com