UW Returns to Sacramento's Grant Union High to Offer Another DB
Grant Union High School football is going through some serious change in Sacramento, California, the state capital, and some of it aptly so has been political.
The Pacers come off an 0-9 season, their worst in school history, while they transition away from legendary coach Mike Alberghini, who was 75 when he was forced out of his job after 30 seasons in the spring of 2021.
However, not all is doom and gloom for a storied program that has otherwise been highly successful and sent 15 players to the NFL.
Take Kingston Lopa, for instance.
He's a 6-foot-4, 190-pound free safety and Class of 2024 recruit coming off his sophomore season for Grant Union High in which his individual performance was as forward moving as his overall team's was not.
On Monday, Lopa was rewarded for his defensive play with a scholarship offer from the University of Washington, his fourth coming after Arizona, Arizona State and Oregon State each made a bid for him and his future potential.
Lopa, just 15, is a freakish athlete. He has entertained people at Grant Union with his 360-degree basketball dunks and handles the ball well. He plays football next to his older brother Dubee, a linebacker who stands five inches shorter.
With his long reach and excellent athleticism, this Lopa as a freshman stepped in front of a pass against Franklin High and intercepted it, racing 60 yards before getting pulled down. In another game, he beat the receiver to the ball and made an end-zone interception.
With Lopa playing two more years, Grant Union can't stay down for long. After all, this is a place that sent defensive backs Shaq Thompson and C.J. Wallace to the Huskies, with Thompson continuing on to the NFL, where he is today.
The only question surrounding Lopa and his football prospects is will he be a safety once at the college level?
He initially played linebacker for Grant Union while his brother was listed as a defensive back, before they did a position swap.
Lopa also tagged UW edge-rusher coach Eric Schmidt on his social-media posting when he revealed his scholarship offer, providing a hint that there are other plans for him..
When all of that is sorted out, there's a good chance Grant Union will be winning again.
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