Oakland school uses football rematch to cement life-long friendships
Oakland HS uses football rivalry with SoCal to cement life-long friendships
Castlemont High School in Oakland continued its rivalry with Dorsey HS from Los Angeles, as the two teams prepared, Friday, for their rematch game. Organizers said they hope players from both squads are able to continue building bridges of friendship that will serve them their entire lives.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Two high school football teams readying to tear each other apart on the gridiron, Friday, were instead posing for pictures, side-by-side.
"Coming from Oakland, we are an inner-city school. So, we don’t really have the opportunity to go outside our regular norm," said Castlemont wide receiver Elijah Washington.
This augmented norm will see the Knights of Castlemont High hosting what organizers hope are life-long friends from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles.
"It’s more than football. This is more about providing an opportunity for the younger generation to see they can also be successful," said Franky Navarro, a commissioner for the Oakland Athletic League.
He hatched the idea of these two schools playing a home-and-home series last season. Castlemont traveled south and won the Rose Bowl in 2023.
"Give them a better experience. Make the world bigger for them. Last year we were to host them, and it was an exciting time," said Vicky Lagos, a Los Angeles Athletic League commissioner.
The rematch is Saturday night in Oakland. Before the game, the combined squads traveled to Pride Elementary School to spend time mentoring the next generation. Their focus on this day isn’t football, but expanding horizons and opportunities.
"Getting the experience of somewhere else outside of where you at on a normal day-to-day basis to see how somebody else gets prepared. And see how somebody else play their football games in their homes, it brings a different mindset. I think these kids need that type of experience," said Stefon Johnson, the head coach of the Dorsey Dons.
For some Dorsey players, that experience is similar to a pro travel day, complete with experiencing their first plane flight from Southern California.
"I was nervous, but it was overrated. Everyone was like, the take-off is going to be real scary and stuff. But it wasn’t that scary," said Dorsey High School linebacker Robert Nobles.
During an emotional intelligence workshop at Youth Uprising, experts told the members of both teams what is scary, is the odds facing them and other men of color. Homicide is the number-one killer. They said education and sports offer a stable path out and up.
"To piece together a good healthy environment between different football teams, and you know, show them that we got good camaraderie is very important too," said Washington.
The two teams held a joint practice late Friday afternoon and then ate dinner together. The football game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Castlemont High School.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on Instagram, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU