OAKLAND – When Ellijah Washington, decked out in a crisp purple-and-white Castlemont jacket and an Oregon State hat, signed his title on the dotted line, he was doing greater than formally committing to the Pac-12 program on Wednesday evening.
He was conserving a promise that he had made his father – and coach – Ed Washington earlier than beginning his freshman 12 months on the Oakland public faculty.
After Ed had pushed his eldest son to completely different personal colleges, with the choice to attend any of them, Ellijah determined he wished to show {that a} child from East Oakland might go from an area public faculty to a serious faculty soccer workforce.
At some colleges, signing day ceremonies that includes main faculty packages is the norm.
Not at Castlemont. Washington is the primary student-athlete from the East Oakland highschool in current reminiscence to commit to a school of Oregon State’s caliber.
“The grit and the grind at Castlemont, there’s nothing like it,” Washington stated. “Coming here taught me a lot, and I don’t think I would’ve gotten that experience at any other school. So this night is truly something special to me.”
OAKLAND — Folks collect within the Castlemont media middle. Castlemont vast receiver Ellijah Washington signed with Oregon State on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 (Joseph Dycus/Bay Space Information Group)
Ed had joyful tears in his eyes as he watched Ellijah discuss to his now-former teammates gathered in Castlemont’s media middle after the ceremony.
“Oh man, I’m crying and stuff,” Ed stated. “I’m just happy, and I’m happy everyone came out to support him. That’s crucial, because we want to set an example for the other kids.”
Whereas Ed donned an an identical letterman jacket to his son, Ellijah’s mom Jasmine Washington was decked out in a shiny orange Oregon State shirt.
“We are so excited for Ellijah, and are just ecstatic that he set his goal and then reached his goal,” Jasmine stated. “He has a great head on his shoulders, and we think he’s more than capable of completing the task at hand.”
The all-Oakland Athletic League vast receiver will graduate highschool early and start attending faculty lessons in early January.
Ellijah’s great-uncle Ron Muhammad gestured to the room crammed with household and buddies as he implored the younger man to not neglect his roots.
“When you go, you represent more than just yourself,” Muhammad stated. “Young blood, you’ve got a huge opportunity.”
