And, it seems, he has good reason.

Not only have parents and players poured out support for Houle, but the Alpine School District's reasons for getting rid of the nationally acclaimed coach appear shaky. Houle was unavailable for comment Saturday evening, but his family referred questions to a close friend.

"When you are on top of the mountain, it seems everyone wants to knock you off," said John Palica, a friend of 15 years of Houle's. "It looks to me like there's a bias on the other side of some sort."

Houle met with district officials last Tuesday and was told to resign or be fired. Palica on Saturday confirmed reports that the district's actions were based on actions Houle took while the Bruins were in Arizona for the Nike Tournament of Champions in December.

While staying in Phoenix, two players came to his hotel room at midnight and refused to stay in the rooms they were assigned to. One player's roommates were ill, and another player was not getting along with her roommates. Houle let the girls sleep on his bed in his suite after they got permission from their parents.

Houle slept on a couch in another room, locked the door to the bedroom, and propped open the front door of the suite to allay any suspicion. He also spent part of the night in the hotel lobby reading.

But despite his care, district superintendent Vern Henshaw forced his resignation.

"It shocks me that [Henshaw] would make this kind of ruling, given the information that he has," Palica said. "In his wildest dreams, he couldn't even conceive of what he's being accused of. That is why he is so distraught, for being accused."

Houle gave an oral resignation to Mountain View principal Richard Clark on Wednesday. But Friday night, Houle rescinded his resignation via e-mail to Clark and Henshaw.

The district, however, has taken his original resignation as official and moved forward. Assistant coach Laura Romo has been installed as interim coach. Friday, district spokesperson Jerri Mortensen pointed out that Houle's Wednesday resignation was done in front of witnesses.

"We have taken action on that verbal resignation," Mortensen said. "We have gone forwards, based on his verbal resignation, and provided leadership for that team."