Life-changing option for Jublilee's Derrick Moore

Derrick Moore remembers arriving at the Jubilee Youth Ranch and Christian Academy in the dead of night three years ago.

Twenty miles from the nearest Eastern Washington city of Prescott, seven miles behind the lush Broetje Orchards, the small facility seemed frightening.

"I thought I was going to jail or something," Moore recalled.

For some boys, the small school in Eastern Washington is an alternative to jail after a history of truancy, loitering or fighting. For others, like Moore, it's a move of their own, with a nudge from a parent or guardian. Moore came from Chicago three years ago. Others hail from Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., or Western Washington.

Moore, one of seven children, said he grew up surrounded by gangs and drugs in Chicago and that his mother and grandmother wanted him in a better environment. Their pastor told them about Jubilee Christian.

"We thought it would be a good idea if I came, and I ended up staying three years," he said.

Moore, a junior, admits sports helped keep him there. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder is an outstanding basketball player. He also is the starting quarterback for the football team that plays in the Class B-8 championship game for the first time in school history. The fifth-ranked Warriors (10-1) face No. 2 Lacrosse-Washtucna (11-0) today at 4 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome.

"I've been waiting on this for three years," Moore said.

It seemed unlikely Jubilee Christian would ever be here when coach Allyn Griffin took over two seasons ago. The school, which opened nine years ago and started a football program in 1998, had won just one game in its first three seasons. Griffin's first team finished 1-8, but last year's group went 5-6, losing a preliminary playoff game. The Warriors' lone loss this season was to defending champion Lacrosse-Washtucna, 46-0.

For many of the 51 students enrolled in the all-boys school, Jubilee Christian offers another shot at life. But Griffin doesn't like to hear it labeled as a place for troubled youth. He said nearly 90 percent of the boys come voluntarily.

"Most teenagers growing up are troubled," he said. "We're not a whole lot different from mainstream schools except that we're very structured and we really hold them (students) accountable for their behavior."

Football players generally get extra conditioning for poor classroom behavior or a dress-code violation. Those not working out on the ranch with livestock or in the woodworking room must wear khaki pants and a navy blue shirt. It's lights out by 10 or 10:30 p.m. and those being punished get a 5:30 a.m. wakeup. Everyone else is up by 6:30.

Those at Jubilee Christian with a criminal background generally committed minor offenses, Griffin said.

"Usually it's truancy or loitering or fighting or assault," he said.

The boys range in age from 13 to 19 in grades eight through 12 and are required to make a one-year commitment. Some stay longer, but there is a high turnover rate. Griffin, who was a receiver at Wyoming and an eighth-round draft choice of the Detroit Lions in 1986, said only five of the 21 players on this year's team played last season. "And that's a lot," he said. "Typically, there's none or one."

Two dormitories house the boys. Rarely does anyone try to run away.

"There's not anywhere to go," Griffin said. "We're in the middle of nowhere, and they can hear the coyotes at night."

Griffin, the head coach for basketball and track and the school's athletic director, said he came to the ranch "as part of my calling" and is studying to be a licensed minister.

Participation in sports is just one way students learn life skills at Jubilee Christian. Coaches and teachers leave lasting impressions.

"They love us and take care of us," Moore said. "They support you and teach you to appreciate things in life."

Class B-8 playoffs

Quarterfinals
Clallam Bay 54, Taholah 14
Jubilee Christian 52, Lake Quinault 0
Sprague-Harrington 46, Touchet 13
Lacrosse-Washtucna 44, Hunters 0

Semifinals
Jubilee Christian 30, Clallam Bay 6
Lacrosse-Washtucna 28, Sprague-Harrington 12