Jenks Football Team Bonds Together And Overcomes Adversity

Wednesday, News On 6 Sports spoke with Jenks head coach Allan Trimble about his battle with ALS, and he's still fighting and leading the Trojans through all types of adversity this year.

"We talk about that all the time,” said Trimble. “We're in this together. We got a lot of guys going through a lot of things."

That is certainly the truth, having a coach with ALS and an assistant fighting cancer. The Jenks Trojans are dealing with some things that would derail most seasons.

"It's been a season with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys, but I can tell you, those have kind of been smoothed out with the unity and the togetherness that this group shares," said Trimble.

Never has that unity been more apparent than this week.

Senior kicker Austin Neuhauser recently lost his mom, and the entire team attended the funeral and played the next day, Neuhauser included.

"We have a lot to play for, so we all have to stick together, especially for Austin and his mom," said senior Jordon Curtis.

"To have a kicker come out a few days after his mother passed away and kick touchbacks and put a good position for the defense, it's great seeing that," said receiver Brett Standlee.

Trimble added, "It's a pretty amazing feat for a kid that age going through that much trouble."

Through it all, there is still football to be played, and somehow, amazingly, the Trojans are right where they always are: at the top of the heap, contending for a state title.

"Coach Trimble does a great job of keeping a routine, keeping it set, and letting us get into that routine,” Standlee explained. “It carries over into the game because we're used to it."

Trimble says this team gets rattled less than any team he’s ever coached. According to him, “They just go out there and they play.”