Rams come to the rescue of local high school

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  • May 10, 2016 at 9:57 pm #43811
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    It’s a happy ending for Cleveland High players after Rams come to the rescue

    Eric Sondheimer

    http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-football-it-s-happy-ending-for-cleveland-high-players-after-rams-come-to-the-rescue-20160510-story.html

    Only weeks after being hired as the new football Coach at Reseda Cleveland last February, Matt Gentle faced the uncomfortable task of standing before his players and telling them that the nearly $7,000 raised for spirit packs had been stolen out of his office. The thief broke two windows and took the money from his desk.

    Gentle tried to raise additional funds but to no avail. Then one of the players’ parents, Samantha Koerner, took it upon herself to send an email to Kevin Demoff, executive vice president of the new professional football team in town, the Rams.

    “I didn’t think anyone would read it, let alone respond,” she said. “Within five minutes, Mr. Demoff responded and said he would have his people on it.”

    On Tuesday afternoon in the Cleveland High gym, players were surprised by what they saw: TV cameras, cheerleaders, new cleats, new shorts, new gloves, new protective gear donated by the Rams, Adidas and Gamebreakers. And the real cheering started when Rams defensive end Robert Quinn walked through the gym door wearing a black sweatshirt that said, “The Land Football.” Soon he was joining the team in the bleachers, taking selfies and offering a big smile.

    “We love giving back to our community,” Quinn said.

    It was the first time since their move to Los Angeles that the Rams have stepped forward to show what they hope they will become _ a major contributor to the youth of the area.

    “It’s amazing,” Cleveland quarterback Jason Levin said. “We’ve always been a bit of an underdog. For the Rams and Adidas to have been able to help us and care for the underdog is very much appreciated. It’s a privilege to have all this.”

    Levin remembers the day his coach told the players about the theft.

    “That was horrible and heartbreaking,” he said.

    An LAPD spokesman said fingerprints taken from the office produced no hits and the case remains open.

    Gentle is just thankful that this players can move forward.

    “For the Rams to reach out and stand by their word that they were going to take care of it means a lot of us,” Gentle said.

    The players shouted out in unison with Quinn afterward, “Go Rams.

    May 10, 2016 at 10:11 pm #43813
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    LA Rams surprise high school football team with equipment donation

    Denise Quan


    http://image.dailynews.com/storyimage/LA/20160510/NEWS/160519961/AR/0/AR-160519961.jpg&maxh=400&maxw=667

    They haven’t played a game yet, but the Los Angeles Rams have already scored a win with one local school, and it couldn’t have been more timely.

    L.A. Rams defensive end Robert Quinn — along with the team’s mascot “Rampage” — surprised the Cleveland High School football team Tuesday with an equipment donation, and posed for pictures with the players.

    “I love giving back to the community,” Quinn said. “It’s what I’m about, and what the Rams are all about.”

    The donation, described as a “spirit pack,” included clothing, gloves, cleats and helmets.

    The gift came weeks after vandals broke into the office of Cleveland’s football coach, Matt Gentle, and stole more than $7,000 raised to buy equipment that the team’s players needed for spring training.

    Efforts to replace the money fell short, so Samantha Koerner, mother of player Zak Koerner, contacted the Rams for help.

    “Somebody suggested I send an email to the (Rams) C.O.O. I thought he wouldn’t read it. He certainly wasn’t going to respond,” Samantha explained. “Within five minutes, he emailed me back and said, ‘The Rams are on it. We’re going to do what we can to help.’”

    Zak, a junior who plays corner, receiver and safety said he had no idea his mom planned to contact the Rams.

    “She didn’t tell me until after she did it. If she would have told me before, I probably would have told her not to do it,” he said.

    As for meeting Quinn, Prince Latson, a wide receiver at Cleveland high, said it was an incredible experience.

    “I was really surprised to see one of my favorite players come here and really show up,” Latson said. “I was caught off-guard. What big team would come down to a high school? It’s just amazing.”

    The team, newly returned to Southern California after years in St. Louis, got an assist with the donation from Adidas Football and Gamebreaker Helmets, which produces protective sports headgear

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