Raynard Westbrook remembers the odious drone of coaches and players constantly slicing and dicing him down to size. Seen as a liability, he spent his entire sophomore year at Leuzinger High School on the bench, still struggling to find his identity.
Experimenting the following year but to no avail, opportunity presented itself when Leuzinger’s starting running back was deemed ineligible for its playoff game against Culver City leaving the spot open to Westbrook.
And he ran with it.
In an explosion of kinetic energy, Westbrook rushed for 210 yards and scored two touchdowns that night; it seemed he had found his niche.
However, despite Westbrook’s debut performance, Leuzinger lost in overtime, opening the floodgates for criticism that persists to this day.
“Ever since I played Pop Warner, players and coaches have told me I’m not fast enough or I’m too little,” Westbrook said. “I never really listened to them, It’s just something that motivates me to be a better player.”
The 5 foot 9 inch, 225 pound sophomore has since put all the negative comments behind him and devoted himself entirely to the task at hand, Warriors football.
What he lacks in height, he makes up for in disposition. Westbrook’s performances on and off the field have earned him the title of co-captain.
With a helmet that has a stockpile of tomahawk decals, which players receive for individual achievements during games.
Originally planning to go San Jose State, Westbrook changed his mind after speaking with an EC alumnus who reminded him of the rich tradition of winning and high caliber coaching.
This season Westbrook, has scored two touchdowns.
“What really made me want to go here was because, I have a cousin named Nate Ness whose playing for the Miami Dolphins now, he won a state championship here and he convinced me to come.”
“I like going to places with tradition. Places where I have to compete for a job, rather then just having them given to me.”
Ness is not the only professional athlete related to Westbrook, earlier this month Raynard’s brother Russell, won a gold medal in Turkey for the U.S. in the FIBA World Championships.
When asked where his future would take him, it became apparent that he wanted to continue his family tradition.
He wants to follow in his brother’s footsteps at UCLA and eventually aspiring to be just like his favorite player, NFL Hall-of-Famer Emmit Smith.
As he continues contributing, to an as of right, Westbrook will silence many critics while most likely creating new ones along the way.
When asked if he believed he would turn out a world champion someday like his brother, Westbrook laughed.
“Everyone would always tell my brother he couldn’t shoot, and they’d tell me that I wasn’t fast enough, but you know, hard work pays off,” he said.