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Kathleen senior cornerback Nyjee Washington said that he enjoyed winning the Red Devils’ first game of the season against Lake Gibson. Why? It let the world know his team was for real.
“It felt so good, it was intense,” he said. “We’re very slept on, we’re very underrated. If you looked at the rankings we weren’t even ranked. We came out and shut a lot of people up so it felt very good. Defensively we could have done better, but played very well. We were put to the test and we did very well.”
That victory was the first step to the Red Devils’ 9-0 start and the team’s surprise ascension to the top of Class 7A, District 7. Kathleen’s defense has passed every test so far this season; they’ve allowed only 13.6 points per game and they’ve survived two road trips against top 7A competition. Washington has been a serious contributor to the team and said that he began to take football serious when he was encouraged by head coach Irving Strickland coming out of middle school.
“In eighth grade I was focused on basketball. But I sat down with Coach Strickland and we talked. I came out and played football and I still had it. My sophomore year, I didn’t play my freshman year. That’s when I started taking it seriously.”
He said that Strickland, who is in his eighth year as Red Devils’ head coach, is an intense teacher that works to get the best out of his players.
“Coach Stric is a good man, he pushes you. All that yelling and stuff that’s just him trying to get you mentally tough. I respect that. When I first got out here, that was hard on me because I wasn’t used to being yelled at. But he and other coaches have been molding me, and they see the potential in me.”
Washington has not received any offers from any collegiate programs, but neither have many other Red Devil defenders. He said that his desire to get to the next level is fuel to his team’s competitive fire.
“It motivates me a lot,” he said. “It pushes me to work super hard, because I want to play at the next level. You have to have that mentality that somebody is always working harder than you. So if you love what you do, you gotta stay on it.”
Washington and the Red Devils hope to clinch the Class 7A, District 7 championship and earn the team’s first undefeated season since 2003 Friday night when they take on the Lakeland Dreadnaughts.
Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Cameraman Hasani
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