As most of our area high school football teams are in the midst of summer drills here in the month of June, word has come down that two more of the top Elk Grove-area players will play elsewhere this fall.
Elk Grove’s talented all-purpose player Wayshawn Parker has told coach John Heffernan he’s transferring to Grant. And, at Sheldon, coach Chris Nixon says sophomore-to-be lineman Tommy Tofi will be playing for Archbishop Riordan in San Francisco. Parker will join another former Huskie, running back Devin Green, with the Pacers. Parker averaged 15.2 yards per carry last season for Elk Grove while scoring 20 TD’s. He totaled 1,785 yards in all-purpose yardage. Defensively, he averaged 4.8 tackles a game and picked off five passes.
Green had informed Sheldon athletic director Jason Bumbaca in late April he was transferring to Grant. The Citizen has emailed Grant principal Darris Hinson asking why these two seniors-to-be were so attracted to his school. The Pacers are the defending CIF Division 3-AA State Champions, however, the two most talented running backs in EGUSD deciding to transfer for their senior seasons to the same school has, admittedly, raised suspicions.
Tofi, who one local basketball coach described as, “the world’s largest human” (he’s 6-7, 325) has moved to San Francisco because, reportedly, his father got a new job. He was an all-Delta League offensive lineman as a freshman. But he was a standout on Sheldon’s basketball team, too, where he averaged 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. Brother John also was a key member of the Huskies’ basketball team.
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| (courtesy 24/7 Sports) Tommy Tofi's photo is already on the Archbishop Riordan H.S. website. |
The CIF must approve of these transfers before anyone will play for their new teams. Tofi (and his brother) will likely be approved to play when the season kicks off Aug. 18 because the family has moved. Parker and Green may be another issue. Unless the family moves to Natomas, where Grant High School is located, both may not be eligible to play until mid-season, which CIF calls a “Sit-out period.” It’s a rule the Sac-Joaquin Section instituted a few years ago to try to cut down on high school free agency. But, any "pre-enrollment contact" as the CIF calls it could bring down a complete year of ineligibility. We'll be following these stories over the next few weeks.
