Roosevelt High School in North Portland is going through quite a transformation. From top to bottom the school, the facilities, the teachers and staff, and the students too have been rebuilding the school and the community in recent years. Some would have us believe that sports has no correlation to academic success.
But that one won’t go very far in our book.
It seems that as the Rough Riders rise in athletic success so are the kids. And no doubt the football team led by Coach Christian Swain and his staff are a big part of that.
One example of this correlation is Junior linemen Sione Taumoe’anga who has been gaining interest and some collegiate offers. But he may not have thought about how far his academic prowess could propel his athletic wings .
“I have been blessed once again to receive another offer, this one from YALE.,” said Sione,
So how did all of this happen?
“Well me and the head coach (Tony Reno) were just talking on the phone, about academics, and up coming test (ACT,SAT) and finally towards the end of our conversation he told me that they were going to go ahead and offer me.”
For Sione, who has offers from Idaho and PSU, this is a big event. So we asked the 6’2″ 295 lb bruiser what he thought about this offer and the chance to earn that Yale degree.
” I mean I can see myself at Yale playing football but most importantly receiving that top notch education. Saying that I still think it’s to early in the recruiting process for me (to commit), I would like to keep my options open and really take time to get to know all these great facilities and their coaches more better, ” he said talking about the number of other schools in touch with him.
“Cal, Utah State and UCLA are also coming by Roosevelt in the next 2 to 3 weeks to check me out,” he added. “It’s been really exciting in this recruiting process.”
His 2012 film is widely reviewed and shows off the footwork and speed he has to go with his powerful frame. You can catch that film right here!
Yale is smart to come after these talented kids from Roosevelt. That is a trend we hope continues as the student athletes there deserve it as much or more then anyone.