East Oakland high school sports stars boost community pride
East Oakland's Castlemont High School will be hosting an L.A. football team on Saturday. But before they compete against each other on the field, they teamed up on Friday for a day of service at nearby East Oakland Pride Elementary School.
The kids were excited to see players like Castlemont's senior wide receiver Ellijah Washington, who accepted a full athletic football scholarship next year to attend and play for Oregon State.
"You can go to Castlemont or you can go from anywhere else, as long as you got the right habits, the right mindset, and the right focus, you can achieve anything you want to," said Washington.
That's the message Washington and teammates shared with the elementary students. Student athletes from Castlemont and L.A.'s Dorsey High School played with the kids and shared their stories about growing up in the inner cities.
"A lot of kid don't get the opportunity to have a big brother, a father, or just a role model in general. So it matters to me and I feel like it's a part of my duty and job while I'm here to show people that 'hey, you've got somebody in your community that came from where you came from that cares about you'," said Washington.
Nestled deep in East Oakland, Castlemont is located in an area that experiences more homicides and shootings than any other part of the town.
But the players said you don't have be a super star like Stephen Curry to make a difference; anyone can improve their community.
"It makes me want to play even more. I'm not just playing tomorrow for myself, I'm playing for the whole Oakland," said Castlemont senior Jaymes Evans, who plays wide receiver, safety, and corner on the team.
The Oakland Athletic League Commissioner Franky Navarro and his L.A. counterpart came up with the idea. Last year was the first year when Castlemont played against Dorsey in Southern California and both teams visited an elementary school before that game.
"It's important for them to be a positive light in our community and having the opportunity to become someone that the younger generation can look up to," said Navarro.
"It's a practice for leadership, right? Because eventually these young men are going to go into our community and be leaders and they're going to go off into the world and be leaders," said Edward Washington, the head coach of Castlemont High's football team and Elijah's father.
Both teams also dined together, and took part in a work shop about life lessons and emotional intelligence.
Coaches and league commissioners said the goal was for both teams to emerge as winners, no matter the final score.
"I'm so happy. It's unbelievable. I'm proud of him," said Coach Washington, speaking of his son.
"Although our circumstances may not be where it could be, know that you can always succeed," said the younger Washington.
The game kicks off on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Castlemont. Tailgating starts at 9:30 in the morning. The coaches are urging people in East Oakland to come out and cheer them on.