DOWNEY— Downey High may have the start something special with their football program.

Downey High senior running back and safety Kyle Lewis is the latest player, to have received a scholarship from a division one college.

Lewis has verbally committed to UCLA after he was offered a scholarship from Bruin’s head coach Rick Neuheisel on April 22.

“I’ve always been a bruins fan. My dad is a huge Bruins fan plus it’s in Los Angeles, so I’m staying close to home. I love the campus, the traditions and the environment. It’s a great place!” Lewis said.

Lewis has made quite a name for himself over the last year, and he is glad that his dream school was one of the many colleges to notice him.

Lewis began to get noticed by schools after he participate in a series of Nike SPARQ skills competitions.

In which he competed against over 1,200 other football athletes at Veteran’s Stadium in Long Beach.

Even thought it may have been Lewis’ first time competing in this event, he managed to get first place and found himself participating in the finals with the other top 20 football athletes from around the nation in Oregon.

Lewis, who scored a rating of 127.86 during the Long Beach combine, managed to get a better rating in the finals with 129.84, despite finishing in fifth.

It may have been what Lewis needed to make some noise and get some attention from schools like he did, which caused most of the Pac-12 conference colleges to send him offers.

Lewis saw the combine as an eye opener and has not looked back since and continues to look forward to his next learning experiences.

“I want to get on the field as soon as possible but it’s up to the coaches whether they want to red shirt me or not. Whatever is better for the team and I can’t wait to live the college life and get better at my position. It’s a great school and I’ll get a good education there. That’s a huge reason why I want to attend UCLA.” Lewis said

He also plans to carry over some of the memories and qualities; he gained from his experiences at Downey High and applies them to the next level.

“I learned a lot from playing football. I learned to be responsible, to be truthful, have respected and that nothing is earned without hard work. Coach Jack Williams taught me a lot about being a man. He also taught me a saying I will never forget and always will remember, ‘Never give up, give in, and don’t be content.’ “Lewis said.

Lewis plans to graduate from Downey High this year and work toward the next level in both his academic and athletic careers.

(SportsMinded’s (James Williams) article published in the Downey Patriot)