Barrett Crosby and Jason Evans have walked in their graduation and received their high school diplomas. They are embarking on a summer of conditioning with the American River College football team.
But the Tokay High grads go back to practice on Sunday to prepare for one final high school game.
Crosby, a running back and linebacker, and Evans, a fullback/linebacker/long snapper, were selected to play for the North Team in the 48th-annual Lions All-Star Football Game. Kickoff is 7 p.m. June 22 at Tracy High’s Wayne Schneider Stadium.
“Only two guys at Tokay are making the roster, so it’s awesome,” Evans said. “It’s cool to get that opportunity and see how we play against guys that are going on to play in college.”
The all-star rosters come from areas covered by the Lions International Club District 4-A1. The North takes its players from Ripon up to Lodi, and the South takes its players from Modesto down to Los Banos.
“It’s an honor,” Crosby said. “It felt good knowing I was good enough to be selected.”
Lodi High quarterback/safesty Matt Shinn was also selected, but Lodi coach Joe Rohles said he is spending the summer in North Dakota working out with the Minot State football team, where he plans to embark on his football career.
Crosby was a key player on a Tokay team that went 5-5 in the fall, and 2-3 overall. He carried the ball 135 times for 853 yards and 11 touchdowns, and added another receiving touchdown. On defense, he was an opportunist, leading the team with 61 tackles while adding a pair of sacks, four interceptions, two fumbles caused and four fumbles recovered.
He said he will be playing defense in the Lions game.
“When they asked, that’s what I put,” Crosby said. “I enjoy defense more. I’m a defensive guy.”
Evans played several roles for the Tigers as a fullback, a linebacker and a long snapper. He finished with three catches for 50 yards and a score on offense, and 58 tackles, three sacks, a fumble caused and three recovered on defense. He said he is expected to play defense in the Lions game, but that American River College is planning to use him as a long snapper.
“For the all-star game I’ll be doing linebacker,” he said. “Maybe at practice I’ll tell them I play long snapper.”
The two are spending the mornings this summer commuting to ARC in Sacramento, along with fellow Tokay grad Jaxon Diede, who is also planning to play for American River.
“I’ve known Barrett since I was seven years old,” Evans said. “Our parents, they love that too because we get to go and continue, and it’s always been the same core group of guys, been the same friends I’ve been with since we were little.
“It would be a lot harder to commute every morning and not have someone you already know.”
Evans had an encore after football season ended last fall when his football teammate, Vince Marin, talked him into going out for the wrestling team.
“I said, you know what, why not?” Evans said. “The discipline you get from wrestling, especially at Tokay, is something I think everyone should experience in high school.”
Evans wrestled his way into the starting lineup in his first year in the sport.
“You know, some of these guys have been wrestling since they were little kids. It worked out pretty well,” he said. “Once I was on that varsity lineup though, I did everything I could to stay there.”
Both players say they are in good football shape and are ready to practice to start in the week leading up to the Lions game. The game will offer a transition into the competition of junior college football, where they will face grown men in the trenches.
“I think because we’re not in pads yet, it’s mostly lifting, conditioning, getting acclimated. I haven’t realized the stress of that,” Evans said. “Once the pads come on though, there’s some big dudes there. But I like playing up to competition, so we’ll see how I do. And as a long snapper you’re not going to be hitting as many big guys.”
Crosby and Evans both look back at their recent experiences at Tokay with fondness.
“I just loved the connections I made through it with my teammates,” Crosby said. “I wish we could have won one more game, made the playoff. But I just loved it.”
For Evans, the pregame routine was his favorite part.
“The pregame prayers, getting hyped with the team, that’s all things I’m going to miss,” he said. “Even though it’s replicated at ARC, we do chants and stuff. But yeah, in high school, it was like, you felt super connected before games, and after games, everybody was cool with one another.”
