‘It’s been a challenge’: Oakland High adapting to season without a home

OAKLAND — Every afternoon, Oakland High’s football team spills out from its campus around 4:30 p.m. and onto MacArthur Boulevard for a half-mile trek to its temporary practice field. 

Shoulder pads bounce and the sound of cleats cackle on cracked sidewalks as players jog in packs, weaving across the overpass on Beaumont Ave. to Edna Brewer Middle School.

It’s there where the Wildcats hold practice — on a middle school soccer field with no yard lines or goal posts. It’s there where they’ll likely prepare for games until the end of the season. 

Oakland’s home field is undergoing renovations, leaving the football team without a home. While the hope was that construction on the field – which will also be used for baseball and softball – would begin in June, the project didn’t start until August and is not expected to be done until the end of November.

The delay has left the Wildcats in a tough spot, even as the school and Oakland Athletic League have provided as many resources as they could. 

Coming off its best season in years, one in which it reached the Silver Bowl, Oakland began this year aiming to take another step toward becoming an OAL power.

The field issues have made the goals more challenging.

“It’s been some big adversity this season,” Oakland coach Terry Hendrix Jr said. “We can’t get access to the fields until 5:30, so my players are running to and from the school around Oakland at night. With daylight savings time coming up, that adds even more challenges.”

But not impossible to overcome. 

“It’s been a challenge, but we’re making it work,” Oakland defensive back J’Amon Hartley said. “It’s something that stands out that no other team goes through. So, it’s different for sure, but it helps us.”

On top of the players having to jog to practice, the field at Edna Brewer is only 45 yards long and has to be split between varsity and JV teams. 

Hendrix said there is not any transportation available to take the players to and from practice, so that’s why they jog.

With no goal posts at the middle school, Oakland’s special teams unit has been affected by the disadvantages. The team has routinely attempted 2-point conversions this year since it doesn’t have a kicker who can practice field goals. 

The OAL has agreed to bring portable lights to the field once the days get shorter, Oakland principal Pamela Moy said.

For the home games on Oakland’s schedule, the Wildcats will play those the opposing teams’ home fields. Laney College is a two-mile drive from Oakland’s campus, but Moy said the school has not reached out to Laney because of Edna Brewer’s proximity to Oakland’s campus. 

When asked why the school doesn’t provide transportation to students for practice, Moy said, “It doesn’t make any sense to necessarily do that because of its distance. So, they do generally walk over there.”

The situation isn’t easy for Hendrix, who is having to fundraise during the season. 

“It’s just things that are out of my control,” Hendrix said. 

So far, the players have used the adversity as motivation. While no home games means not being able to play in a familiar setting, the Wildcats have tried to make visiting fields feel like home. 

“It’s a different environment every game,” junior running back David Hicks said. “We just know we have to stick together as a team and make it our home field wherever we go.”

Should the field construction get done in late November, there is a slim chance that Oakland could play one game on the field. But that would require the Wildcats to win the OAL championship and qualify for a NorCal home game in December.

That would also mean dethroning McClymonds — the class of the OAL for years. 

“Knowing that we would have a home game if we get the Silver Bowl, it’s definitely extra motivation,” Hicks said. 

Even though Oakland has tried to turn the situation into a positive, Hendrix realizes how unfortunate it will be for his seniors to not have a field to play on in their last year. 

“We won’t get that memorable senior night or homecoming,” Hendrix said. “No snack bar fundraising to help with the necessities we need. Every game is away. It’s tough, maybe the biggest adversity I’ve had to face as a coach.” 

—————————-

If you want to assist Oakland High’s football program, the team has set up a gofundme page. Look for it here.