Jun. 18—Two different area schools welcomed NFL players for visits with the school year winding down on Friday.
Seattle Seahawks rookies Abraham Lucas and Dareke Young joined former fan favorite and current free agent Neiko Thorpe to celebrate the start of summer vacation for students at Barge-Lincoln Elementary. A couple hours earlier in Toppenish, where classes will go on for another week, Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott shared his inspiring success story and offered advice to next year’s high school students.
“Do not let anyone put you in a box,” Scott told hundreds of students in the Toppenish gymnasium while wearing his Dignitas jersey to represent the world-renowned professional Rocket League team he joined as a substitute in February. “Do not let anyone tell you you can’t do this or that.”
The Seahawks’ crew, featuring mascot Blitz, several Seahawks dancers and the team’s Blue Thunder drumline, offered fewer words but a lot more high-fives, photos and autographs for teachers, friends and nearly 600 young students. Barge-Lincoln principal Hector Mendez wore his Marshawn Lynch jersey and a handful of others sported Russell Wilson’s #3.
Although Tyler Lockett’s #16 could be spotted in the crowd, few jerseys represented current players on a young team likely to be an underdog in the competitive NFC West next fall. Thorpe’s optimistic about what the Seahawks can do even if they don’t look as good on paper, and Lucas said those projections won’t affect how Seattle prepares for the season.
“The basic premise is don’t listen to the noise,” Lucas said. “That’s all from outside stuff that doesn’t matter.”
Enthusiastic Seahawks fans aren’t anything for the Everett native who earned First Team All Pac-12 honors at Washington State last season. Seattle drafted Lucas in the third round and he saw some first team reps at right tackle during mandatory minicamps earlier this month.
The path to a roster spot could be more difficult for Young, a former Division II wide receiver Seattle took with its last pick of the 2022 draft. Young said he’s already learning a lot from veteran receivers like Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf as he seeks to find a role, whether that’s exclusively on special teams or also as a wideout.
“Whatever they need me to play I’ll be ready for it,” Young said. “I’m a physical player that plays fast and I play confident as well.”
A sustained NFL career for Young would be no more improbable than the one carved out by Scott, a sixth round draft pick who ran for 373 yards and seven touchdowns in his fourth season last year. He walked on at Louisiana Tech after getting only a partial offer from an NAIA school out of high school and then spent significant time discovering and recovering from a neuromuscular disorder while in college.
Scott has spent a lot of time in Washington with his girlfriend, Yakima native Mariah Rojas, and he’s put in offseason work with former Seahawks Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright. So when Rojas’ mother, Toppenish teacher Sue Tobia and the school’s Gear Up program coordinator Cesar Hernandez reached out about talking to students, Scott embraced the opportunity.
“If I would have seen someone that was in the NFL or seen any kind of public figure, that would have definitely had an impact on my mind and my heart,” Scott said. “So I just want to be able to pay it forward, but I definitely understand what a lot of these kids are going through and I just want to be able to spread some positivity.”
The school plans to install 30 gaming stations for an esports team next school year, and Hernandez expects Rocket League to be included. Scott’s excited to see one of his lifelong passions becoming more mainstream, especially his favorite game, which is best described as playing indoor soccer with cars.
Much like the students they met on Friday, NFL players will enjoy a few weeks off before reporting to training camp in late July. Scott stressed the importance of working hard and finding a strong motivator, whether that’s faith, family, friends or something intangible.
“You just never really know what avenue they’re going to take,” Scott said of young students. “So why not just do as much as you can, and then whenever you get to a point to where, ‘hey, this is what I want to pursue for my career,’ you can put everything into that.”
Reach Luke Thompson at luthompson@yakimaherald.com.
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