The Emeryville Connection: A news magazine published by the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce
SCHOOL JOURNAL
Football Returns to Emery Secondary
Its sights and sounds not heard on campus in four years.
Football has returned to the large grass field on the northern edge of Emery Secondary School.
This fall, 27 students have suited up and taken the field, bringing athletic tradition back to Emeryville.
The squad is led by Coach Darryl Creighton, who spent years coaching football at high schools and small colleges in the St. Louis area.
Creighton says the return of football has not only provided athletes with an after-school program; it has brought a sense of pride back to Emery Secondary.
“I think it’s important,” says Creighton, who also serves as the school’s athletic director. “Whether people know it or not, it sets a tone for the school year.”
His assistant coach, Max Monroy-Miller, agrees.
“It helps create a stronger base and momentum for school spirit,” says Monroy-Miller, who doubles as the school’s dean of students. “Student-athletes are walking the halls with a confidence that passes on to other students in a positive way.”
Jump-starting a football program wasn’t easy. When the decision was announced last spring, Creighton had to scramble. He tapped Monroy-Miller as assistant coach and then recruited Ken Wright, head of school security, to help.
Creighton scheduled some spring drills to garner interest and build conditioning. The team met periodically over the summer, then got down to serious drills in late August.
Creighton stressed fundamentals at his early practices. How to tackle. How to block. How to properly catch a football. How to throw with precision.
“I’m not that concerned about winning,” said Creighton. “I keep telling the kids they are laying a foundation for other young men at the school.”
The theory paid off. In early September, the team traveled to Redwood City and won its first game. Two weeks later, they played at home against powerhouse Amador Valley High. Although they lost the game, the Spartans played a respectable game.
Creighton says the lessons the student-athletes are learning go beyond football. They are learning about life. How to work as a team. How to behave properly. The importance of showing up on time and bringing with you the proper equipment, supplies – and attitude.
“A lot of these kids don’t really have a mentor,” says Creighton. “We try to be that one constant anchor.”
His assistant coach agrees.
“The program builds stronger character in our young men, encourages teamwork and discipline,” says Monroy-Miller. “It is a source of confidence to build upon off the field.”
The small squad does mean a lot of the Emery Spartans have to play both offense and defense, but that doesn’t matter to a campus starved for action on the gridiron.
Senior Joshua Grayson is tasting football for the first time at Emery Secondary. Like many high schoolers he is a ‘two-way’ player: offensive tackle and linebacker on defense. He agrees the return of football is good for the entire school.
“People are happy to get the football team back,” he says. “It gives the school something to stand for.”
David Mills is a writer for The Emeryville
Connection. If you have a question or comment, please contact him at ecocnews@gmail.com
3980 Harlan Street · Emeryville, CA 94608 · Phone: 510-652-5223 · Fax: 510-652-4223 · info@emeryvillechamber.com
©2007 Emeryville Chamber of Commerce.