With time running out to find a way to pay for college and also play football, running back Zander Lewis of Corona Centennial received a last-minute scholarship offer from Virginia Military Institute and signed Wednesday.
As they say, all anyone needs is one opportunity from someone who believes in you, and Lewis seized it.
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“I feel great,” he said.
He took a recruiting trip last week to VMI. His only other offer was a partial academic scholarship to Drake.
Helping create the opportunity was assistant coach Anthony Catalano, who used to work with VMI’s new defensive coordinator five years ago at Cornell. Catalano recommended VMI take a look at Lewis.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Lewis rushed for 606 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior for the Southern Section Division 1 finalists. He played at Ontario Christian for three years until a coaching change motivated him to transfer to Centennial.
He signed with VMI even though there’s one big requirement for students: a buzz cut.
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“I’ve had long hair for as long as I know,” he said.
He’ll have until late summer to enjoy his hair before it comes off.
“I don’t know what I’d look like,” he said.
It’s a minor sacrifice to achieve the dream to attend college and play football.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
