CNN's Lisa Sylvester looks at a unique high school that gives underprivileged teens a leg up.
RAMSEY, N.J. -- At 5:51 p.m. last Saturday, Terry Eidson, the defensive coordinator for De La Salle High of Concord, Calif., opened the full-length glass door in Don Bosco Prep's cafeteria. Inside was his team's makeshift locker room, blacked out from passersby with a plastic garbage bag stretched from top to bottom. A little over an hour before kickoff, he inquired about which route his team would take to the field. Bob Murphy, a Bosco track coach standing in the hall, asked the visitor, "Need an escort?"
Don Bosco (Ramsey, N.J.) flew back east Sunday with a win over then-No. 2 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) and a return ticket to the top 10. Elsewhere on the west coast, Centennial (Corona, Calif.) rolled past Clovis West and Poly ( Long Beach, Calif.) escaped with a 14-0 win against Carson.
RAMSEY, N.J. -- During two-a-day practices last summer, Don Bosco Prep quarterback Brett Knief would steal away from Granatell Stadium between sessions while most teammates idled on campus. "I live less than four minutes away," says Knief . "Other students come from hours away. I like my commute."
Five years ago, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) was supposed to visit Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) for a cross-country clash, but Bosco's league voted against allowing the game. This year the league allowed the game, and on Saturday night in California De La Salle will host Bosco in a nationally televised contest.
The game of the week will be played in Cincinnati as No. 2 Don Bosco (Ramsey, N.J.) begins its travel-happy national schedule against No. 19 St. Xavier. With three games under their belts already, the Bombers hope to show they are in mid-season form.
With instate competition pairing top teams in playoff situations these days, the rankings continue to shuffle.
For years the doormats of the all-boys Catholic school rivalries in Bergen County (N.J.), the Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) Ironmen have been on a magic carpet ride in the new millennium.
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