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Dodge City coach refutes claims of 'cheating' despite resignation By Pat Sangimino - The Hutchinson News DODGE CITY - Last Wednesday, a few hours before Dodge City High School's Laton Dowling was to become the school's second student-athlete in three years to sign a letter of intent to play Division I football, coach Justin Burke was seen holding what one observer said was an early-morning football practice. What athletic director Jay Gifford witnessed, he told Burke, was a violation of Kansas State High School Activities Association rules. Burke resigned five days later amid an investigation by the Dodge City administration. On Tuesday, he denied any wrongdoing, saying the school administration had been looking for a way to get rid of him. "I am certain that they have been looking for something on me for a while," said Burke, who compiled a record of 26-22 and berths in the Class 6A playoffs the last two seasons. "This was an opportunity for them." Burke said that his zero-hour conditioning class, which has 27 students – not all of whom are football players – and meets every school day from 6:30 to 7:45 a.m., was playing a game of two-hand touch. "It was not against the rules," he said. "There are no rules stating what you can and can't do in the class. … I disagree that this is cheating." Principal Jacque Feist disagreed, saying that Burke should have been teaching conditioning, not football last Wednesday. "He was not acting in that capacity at that time," she said. "… Where do you think a weights class should take place?" Burke, who also is the school's track coach, said the class had lifted weights and he was breaking up the monotony by introducing a game into the class – something he had done countless times, be it in the school gymnasium or its softball diamond. "We play basketball. We play kickball. We play softball," he said. "We do a lot of things with competition because ...