East Bay youth football team finds new field after gun violence forced them to move
An East Bay youth football team found a new home after gun violence forced them to look for another place to play.
And the team didn't let their off-field troubles though impact their season.
The East Bay Panthers have a new home field, tucked away at Madison Park Academy, closed off to the public.
In late August, there were two violent shootings in a span of a week at Verdese Carter Park. Masked men came running onto the field and coaches decided it was too unsafe to play.
Anthony Ray started playing football at 8 years old and is glad the season has kept going.
Ray said, "I'm grateful to be here now. I'm grateful nobody on the team was injured or shot or anything like that."
Players said they definitely feel safer on their new field, even though there are some minor issues with the surface.
Yaeshawn Marbley said, "It's alright. It's just too much goose poo and stuff like that."
Ray added, "I don't really like the field. There's a lot of poop around because of the geese. It's kind of dry, the grass is really dry. But I'm not complaining. at least we have a field to be at."
For weeks, the Panthers didn't have a home field. Coaches not only coached but they also helped kids get to different practice fields. Even a game in Santa Rosa.
Leroy Jones, the East Bay Panthers Athletic Director & 12U Coach said, "Us coaches do bring them to practice and some of us coaches sacrifice our jobs to come, to be there with them."
The hard work by all has paid off. These boys will compete for the league championship this weekend.
Jones said, "This is all about the young men. They came and sacrificed everything they could, came over adversity and kept grinding away."
Marbley said, "I'm real excited because this is going to be my first ring because this is my second year playing tackle football. You're saying first ring, you know you're going to win. Yeah."
For these kids, it's not just about what they hope to accomplish this weekend and this season. They have dreams of playing division one football after high school.
Ray said, "It means a lot to me. I do want to take football to another level. I don't want to stay where I'm at."
The team plays the championship game this weekend in Sacramento. If they win, they are off to nationals in San Diego.