During the high school football season, the Dorsey Dons football team partnered with Castlemont High School of Oakland to host a sports clinic with the students at Baldwin Hills Elementary School.
“It’s always important for students to have someone to look up to,” said Baldwin Hills Elementary School principal Angela Killens. “I think it’s important for them to see the scholar athletes to interact with them.”
The clinic was done in conjunction with the home-and-home game agreement the two schools have for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. This past season, the Castlemont Knights traveled to Los Angeles to compete against the Dons.
“I wanted to get them out of Oakland to experience a football game and something else outside of The Town,” said Castlemont head coach Edward Washington. “That’s what it’s all about, being able to get our kids that’s in the inner city and from our community to understand that you are something, you will be something and we love who you are and we want to help and mentor who you are.”
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Washington was looking for an inner city public school to compete against when he was introduced to Dons head coach Stafon Johnson.
“We felt like it was something that needs to happen,” Johnson said. “When I was in high school, we played against McClymonds and that relationship amongst those other players on that team still remains.”
CIF Oakland Section Commissioner Franky Navarro managed the logistics of the trip for the Knights. LAUSD and the CIF City Section also helped to make the event and the football game possible. At the clinic, the high school student athletes had the elementary school students run drills in basketball and football.
“Not only do they help their programs by introducing themselves to a younger audience but it also helps to bring the community together,” said Dorsey athletic director Dwayne Tatnall. “It gives the kids the opportunity to get out of their own neighborhood … and to experience something different, even if it is still in the state of California.”
Being around the elementary school children made Dorsey senior Javaun Lewis miss his early childhood.
“It means so much just to have an impact on kids,” Lewis said. “I could probably change their future right here and talking to them and seeing where their head’s at, it’s a wonderful experience.”
Castlemont junior Elvin Smith IV expected to hear trash talk from the Dons but instead began building friendly bonds with his opponents. He looks forward to hosting Dorsey during his senior year.
“I think it’ll feel good to introduce them to our hometown because I like how they came, they’re cool about us being in their hometown,” Smith IV said. “We’re gonna do the same thing, be cool about them at our school.”
