'Nobody was going to do it for me' football epiphany

By Caleb Campos –

Nile Hosni woke up one morning three weeks ago a changed man. “I realized nobody was going to do it for me in life,” he said. “I realized I was going to have to put in the effort myself.”

Nile’s epiphany translated into a near victory Friday night for Lighthouse Christian Academy 8-man football against East Valley High School in North Hollywood. In a game the Saints felt was stolen, LCA lost 20-22.

Rue aside, it was a win for Nile, who made blocks, pushed for tackles and became a force to contend with and not just a sack of potatoes coaches complained about before. The gridiron is no place for half-sassing.

“The biggest growth in Nile wasn't physical, it was mental and spiritual,” observed Coach Justin Kayne. “He's allowed God to get involved in his life and that changes everything. The minute you allow God to get into your life, your mindset changes, your focus changes, your perspective changes, the things that you desire in life change.”

There is a definite progression to LCA football games: In Game 1, they lost 0-58. In Game 2, they lost 14-40. After filling the holes in defense and fixing offense, the Saints came to a razor close game 20-22. The score was so close that the Saints put the referees’ decisions under a microscope in their frustration.

“If the refs made good calls, we probably would have scored once or twice (more),” said quarterback Zeke Young. “The clock was running when it shouldn't have been running, and I lost onside a kick that I should have gotten. They didn't call pass interferences.

“The refs robbed from me personally, an onside kick I had 30 yards on, robbed my teammates when they should've called things that they should've called, and the coaches when they called timeouts and they didn't answer.”

Touchdowns were scored by Zion Jenkins (2 TDs) and Zeke. Junior Owen Toomey made his first catch of the season, and Alex Brick (that’s really his last name), a 220 pound sophomore, fell on his opponents with a clap of thunder.

The Saints were left grumbling about what could have been, what should have been, what would have been.

But Nile could take satisfaction in one thing. He gave his all.

“When you're laying in bed at night, thinking,’ damn, I could have tried harder,’ it's the worst feeling,” he says.

Related content: No more Mr. Mopey (LCA's Game 1), Like Father, Like Son (Game 2)

About this reporter: Caleb Campos is a sophomore at the Lighthouse Christian Academy. He wrote this article as an assignment for his journalism class.