High school football live updates: Thursday’s games for Week 8 in Southern California

• October 13, 2023

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Follow along tonight, Thursday, October 12, as our Southern California News Group reporters provide scores, stats, videos and much more from the sidelines at tonight’s Week 8 games.

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THURSDAY’S GAMES

CIF-SS

605 LEAGUE

Artesia at Pioneer, 7 p.m.

Glenn vs. Cerritos at Gahr, 7 p.m.

BIG 4 LEAGUE

Katella vs. Segerstrom at Glover Stadium, 7 p.m.

BIG WEST-LOWER LEAGUE

Corona Santiago at Temecula Valley, 7:30 p.m.

BIG WEST-UPPER LEAGUE

Vista Murrieta at Corona Centennial, 7:30 p.m.

CANYON LEAGUE

Agoura at Royal, 7 p.m.

CITRUS 4 LEAGUE

South Hills vs. Colony at Covina District Field, 7 p.m.

CRESTVIEW LEAGUE

Villa Park vs. Foothill at El Modena, 7 p.m.

DEL RIO LEAGUE

Whittier vs. El Rancho at California HS, 7 p.m.

DESERT EMPIRE LEAGUE

Shadow Hills at Palm Springs, 7 p.m.

DESERT SKY LEAGUE

Adelanto at Silverado, 7:30 p.m.

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Cypress at Placentia Valencia, 7 p.m.

GOLDEN LEAGUE

Lancaster at Highland, 7 p.m.

HACIENDA LEAGUE

Diamond Bar at Nogales, 7 p.m.

Walnut at Ontario, 7 p.m.

IVY LEAGUE

Rancho Verde at Elsinore, 7:30 p.m.

MARMONTE LEAGUE

St. Bonaventure at Simi Valley, 7 p.m.

MIRAMONTE LEAGUE

Bassett at La Puente, 7 p.m.

MISSION VALLEY LEAGUE

Arroyo vs. Mountain View at Rosemead HS, 7 p.m.

MOJAVE RIVER LEAGUE

Serrano at Sultana, 7:30 p.m.

MOUNTAIN VALLEY LEAGUE

Rubidoux at San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.

ORANGE LEAGUE

Magnolia vs. Anaheim at Western HS, 7 p.m.

PAC 4 LEAGUE

Westminster vs. Godinez at Santa Ana Valley HS, 7 p.m.

RIO HONDO LEAGUE

Pasadena Poly vs. San Marino at South Pasadena HS, 7 p.m.

RIVER VALLEY LEAGUE

Ramona vs. La Sierra at Norte Vista, 7 p.m.

SKYLINE LEAGUE

Bloomington at Colton, 7 p.m.

Riverside Notre Dame at Fontana, 7:30 p.m.

SUNBELT LEAGUE

Riverside Poly at Lakeside, 7 p.m.

SUNKIST LEAGUE

Grand Terrace vs. Summit at Miller HS, 7:30 p.m.

SUNSET LEAGUE

Newport Harbor vs. Edison at Huntington Beach HS, 7 p.m.

NONLEAGUE

Moreno Valley at Vista del Lago, 7 p.m.

L.A. CITY

EASTERN LEAGUE

Huntington Park at Los Angeles Roosevelt, 7:30 p.m.

South Gate at Bell, 7:30 p.m.

8-MAN

CIF-SS

Cuyama Valley vs. Coastal Christian at Soto Sports Complex, 6 p.m.

CSDR at United Christian, 7 p.m.

Milken at Vista Meridian, 7 p.m.

L.A. CITY

Sherman Oaks CES at East Valley, 7 p.m.

Football

— James H. Williams covers UCLA football (@JHWreporter) September 1, 2023

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​ Orange County Register 

Kaiser ordered to revamp delivery of behavioral health care services

• October 13, 2023

Kaiser Permanente Foundation Health Plan has reached a settlement with the California Department of Managed Health Care that calls for significant changes to Kaiser’s delivery of behavioral health care services.

The settlement, announced Thursday, Oct. 12, includes a $50 million fine and will require the healthcare provider to take corrective action to address deficiencies in delivery and oversight of the behavioral health care services it provides to enrollees.

The settlement grew out of a non-routine survey of Kaiser the DMHC conducted in May 2022.

The DMHC found that Kaiser canceled behavioral health appointments and often failed to schedule appointments in a timely manner, which were still required, regardless of a strike among mental health clincians in August 2022.

The agency also noted a “shortage of contracted high-level behavioral health care facilities” in the plan’s network, as well as “inadequate oversight of the plan’s medical groups in evaluating appropriate care.” DMHC also said Kaiser failed to make out-of-network referrals, which are required under the law, when in-network providers are not available.

Kaiser has also pledged $150 million in additional investments over the next five years into programs to its improve its behavioral health care programs.

The settlement comes amid labor unrest that could potentually fuel a week-long strike among 75,000 Kaiser workers next month.

In a statement issued late Thursday, Kaiser CEO Greg A. Adams said the company has seen “an unprecedent rise in demand” for mental health care services over the past three years, driven largely by the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.

“We have increased our staffing and facilities to help meet this growing need,” he said. “Since 2020, we have invested an additional $1.1 billion to provide mental health treatment for our members.”

Adams said Kaiser hired nearly 600 additional therapists and expanded its networks over the past three years to include thousands of community therapists.

“We have invested an additional $195 million in new clinical facilities that include 329 mental health provider offices,” Adams continued. “Even so, during the period of the DMHC survey we fell short of our members expectations and our own expectations.”

DMHC Director Mary Watanabe said Kaiser worked “proactively and in good faith” to reach the agreement.

“In addition to paying the highest fine the DMHC has ever levied against a health plan, Kaiser Permanente has agreed to make significant improvements to the plan’s operations, processes and procedures and business model to better assist enrollees with accessing care,” Watanabe said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was in Los Angeles on Thursday signing legislation to modernize and transform California’s mental health and substance-use disorder treatment systems,  also weighed in on the settlement.

“Today’s actions represent a tectonic shift in terms of our accountability on the delivery of behavioral health services,” Newsom said. “Accountability of the private sector is foundational to ensuring our entire system of behavioral health care works for all Californians.”

Meanwhile, Kaiser is grappling with labor issues.

On Tuesday, Kaiser executives received notice of another potential strike just days after 75,000 employees ended a three-day walkout.

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions issued a 10-day strike notice Monday, Oct. 9, warning of a possible strike Nov. 1-8 if the healthcare giant fails to address “an acute and dire” staffing crisis and continues to outsource jobs.

Kaiser said it recently finished hiring 10,000 people, adding to the 51,000 workers the hospital system has brought aboard since 2022.

Last week’s walkout among nurses, ER techs, respiratory therapists, x-ray technicians and scores of others has been called the largest healthcare strike in U.S. history. It impacted operations at 23 Kaiser facilities in Southern California, along with others throughout Colorado, Oregon, southwest Washington, Virginia and Washington.

​ Orange County Register 

Zach VanValkenburg, Ochaun Mathis growing as depth pieces for Rams’ defense

• October 13, 2023

THOUSAND OAKS — Zach VanValkenburg lined up at the line of scrimmage and crashed down on a receiver after the snap. That route disturbed, it left the Rams linebacker with one lineman between him and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. VanValkenburg used a swim move to get over the blocker’s shoulder and spin him around.

As the Rams’ coverage held, Hurts was right in front of him, there for the taking. And VanValkenburg completed the play, the undrafted rookie’s first career sack and tackle.

“It was pretty surreal,” VanValkenburg said. “Obviously you’re just trying to rush as a unit and kind of like a coverage sack, but those are opportunities where effort shines through and those are just as good opportunities to get the quarterback down.” He paused for a second, and let his modesty slip away. “It was pretty awesome, not going to lie.”

Between VanValkenburg’s milestone, rookie Ochaun Mathis’ NFL debut and Duke Shelley’s third-down pass breakup in the end zone, last weekend’s loss to the Eagles was an important game as far as the Rams finding depth pieces who can help them down the stretch of the season.

There was little hope for VanValkenburg to get that kind of opportunity as a rookie last season. He was cut by the Las Vegas Raiders prior to Week 1, then signed with the Rams two weeks later as a member of the practice squad, the kind of low-profile job that can make a player slip through the cracks.

“I remember Zach probably about Week 18,” defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said.

While doing his work to prepare the team for the coming game, VanValkenburg got time in with the coaches outside of meetings to pick their brains about the defense. He learned the play calls but knew he needed a chance to rep it before he could earn a role on the active roster.

He began to feel more comfortable during training camp. The game had slowed down, and he had caught up in terms of learning the defense. When he got reps against the Raiders and Denver Broncos during joint practices, something clicked.

“Some of those reps were maybe more valuable than preseason,” VanValkenburg said. “Feeling this defense slow down for me was pretty key.”

He got a sack during the preseason opener, then broke through on Sunday in a game that mattered with three pressures and a sack.

“In the game, you go, ‘Who got that?’ They say, ‘Zach,’ you say, ‘Oh, that’s awesome,’” Morris said. “I’m fired up for the kid, I’m fired up for where he’s come from, I’m fired up to have him. I love his energy, I love his play style.”

Mathis went through his own journey to the field this preseason. A sixth-round pick out of Nebraska, Mathis injured his knee in the first practice in pads when, as he engaged with a blocker, a teammate fell onto his leg.

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He missed the rest of camp and started the season on the injured reserve. But when he made his season debut against the Eagles, Mathis had two QB pressures in 10 snaps, an experience he reflected on during the long drive home.

“You’re going to hit traffic,” said Mathis, clearly already settling into Southern California. “It gives you enough time to sit back and reflect and see how far you came and seeing the opportunities for me to be on the field, it was one of my biggest dreams ever come true, if not the only one.”

The Rams’ defense has been a pleasant surprise this season under Morris’ guidance. One of the biggest critiques remaining is depth. But between VanValkenburg, Mathis, Shelley and other players like safety Quentin Lake, the Rams are working on building up that second string with live reps in the event that an injury occurs.

“We’ve got so many roles and so many different personnel packages that you can mix these guys in and find the best 11 to go out there and find a way to get your win that week,” Morris said. “Because it could be different every single week in how you want to do it. I love this young group. … I really believe that these guys are going to grow together and find something special.”

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Thursday, Oct. 12

• October 13, 2023

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Scores and stats from Orange County games on Thursday, Oct. 12

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

THURSDAY’S SCORES

BOYS WATER POLO

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Pacifica 21, Kennedy 0

Valencia 12, Cypress 11

OCEAN VIEW TOURNAMENT

La Habra 5, Palm Desert 2

NONLEAGUE

Western 11, Katella 5

GIRLS GOLF

WAVE LEAGUE

Newport Harbor 215, Corona del Mar 221

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE

Orange 235, Katella 271

GIRLS TENNIS

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Beckman 16, Irvine 2

​ Orange County Register 

Gordon Crawford lists his Monarch Bay home in Dana Point for $46 million

• October 13, 2023

One of two Monarch Bay oceanfront estates that retired showbiz investor Gordon Crawford purchased last year on the same street in this guard-gated community has hit the market for $46 million.

If it gets the asking price, it could beat its own record as Dana Point’s all-time most expensive home sold.

The asking price for the blufftop dwelling is 39% more than the $33 million paid by Crawford, 76, and his wife, Dona, in March 2022, property records show.

Before the couple took ownership, the house — built on a third-acre-plus bulkhead lot with 84 feet of ocean frontage in 2019 — had undergone a major remodel.

Within its 7,717 square feet are four bedrooms and six bathrooms with disappearing floor-to-ceiling glass that frames the uninterrupted ocean views and extends the living space outdoors.

The entry opens into an inner pool and spa courtyard with a covered built-in barbecue area.

Fleetwood windows and sliding pocket doors wrap the open floor plan where “the heart of this home,” the listing reads, is the minimalist Boffi kitchen with its high-end appliances and waterfall island.

There’s no shortage of designer touches. Zimbabwe black granite countertops, Armani stone hearths, electric shades on every ocean-facing window and door and an elevator as an alternative to the floating staircase add to the luxe touches throughout.

Current marketing materials highlight the new bathroom in the main-level primary suite, which recently got the spa treatment. It boasts Taj Mahal quartzite-topped walnut vanities, Kallista sinks and plumbing fixtures, a soaking tub with ocean views, a walk-in shower, two water closets and two boutique-style walk-in closets.

An entertainment area, bar and office occupy the lower level.

In the backyard, a staircase descends the slope to a patio with built-in seating around a fire pit.

Additional perks of the property include a three-car garage, solar power system and access to the private beach club managed by the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach resort.

Samantha Nugent and Todd Davis of Compass who represented the Crawfords in the purchase of the property now hold the listing.

Crawford is a chair of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. He previously served as the senior vice president at Capital Research and Management Co. and retired in 2012 after more than 41 years.

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​ Orange County Register 

OC prosecutors, sheriff’s officials mum on how they are fixing jailhouse informant problems

• October 13, 2023

Orange County prosecutors and sheriff’s officials won’t talk about how they have reformed the local justice system in the 12 months since a federal investigation confirmed their illegal use of jailhouse informants.

Aside from saying they are cooperating with each other and federal authorities, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department are keeping mum, making it difficult for the public to determine what, if anything, they are doing to implement  recommendations from the U.S. Department of Justice.

And the DOJ’s civil rights division did not respond to a request for information.

Silence marks the one-year anniversary of the federal investigation that confirmed prosecutors and law enforcement for years were using a secret cadre of jail informants to illegally coax confessions out of targeted inmates who were not supposed to be questioned without their lawyers present. Authorities also failed to disclose their use of informants to defense attorneys.

“I don’t understand why (reform efforts) wouldn’t be public information,” said Jodi Balma, a political science professor at Fullerton College. “It’s not hard to say, ‘We’re going to follow the law and everyone who doesn’t will be terminated.’ “

Orange County Public Defender Martin Schwarz, whose agency has the largest stake in resolving the informant scandal, said he, too, has been kept out of the loop.

“It’s been frustrating to be in the dark about what steps toward remediation have been taken,” Schwarz said. “It’s important to remember that the report correctly concluded that the informant scandal continues to undermine public confidence in the integrity of the justice system in Orange County.”

Kimberly Edds, spokesperson for the district attorney’s office, said prosecutors would like to talk about their progress, but can’t because of the confidential nature of the federal investigation.

“In many instances, our efforts go beyond what the DOJ is recommending as we continue to work with the DOJ and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to safeguard the Orange County criminal justice system,” Edds said in a prepared statement. “We look forward to being able to tell the complete story of how we worked collaboratively to eradicate the informant issues created by the prior administration and the practices we implemented to prevent them from occurring in the future.”

The six-year probe by the U.S. Department of Justice concluded last year that the agencies had not gone far enough to correct or prevent the violations and did not have the level of cooperation needed to fix the problems.

The DOJ report, a rare look by federal civil rights investigators into a prosecutorial agency, recommended an independent panel be formed to review past cases damaged by the improper use of informants.

It is unclear whether that panel was ever formed and which of the 23 recommendations, if any, have been implemented. The report had recommended that prosecutors and sheriff’s officials create a contract detailing each agency’s responsibilities in using jailhouse informants. The contract also would state prosecutors’ intent not to go forward with any case in which the contract was not followed.

Another recommendation was that both agencies do a comprehensive review of all cases and convictions in which jailhouse informants were used. A separate analysis by the Public Defender’s Office found that 57 homicide and felony cases were adversely affected by the illegal use of informants, with convictions being dropped, charges dismissed and sentences dramatically reduced.

Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders also recently accused former prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh, now a Superior Court judge, of misleading federal investigators about his use of informants.

Sanders called on federal investigators to revisit their interview with Baytieh as well as the new analysis of affected cases.

“We have presented very detailed allegations about a former prosecutor’s effort to mislead the DOJ during its investigation, and have also described a large number of previously unidentified affected cases,” Sanders said. “Obviously, these issues have to be addressed.”

Related links

Use of snitches unravels 57 murder and other felony cases in Orange County
Former top OC prosecutor conspired to hide evidence in murder case, defense attorney alleges
OC prosecutors, sheriff’s deputies violated rights in jailhouse informant scandal, DOJ concludes
OC judge drops conviction against inmate who ordered ‘hit’ on sheriff’s investigator
More accusations waged against top Orange County prosecutor in murder retrial

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers traded J.C. Jackson after he reportedly refused to play

• October 12, 2023

COSTA MESA — The Chargers repeatedly asked cornerback J.C. Jackson to play in their Week 4 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium, especially after teammate Michael Davis tweaked his ankle. But Jackson refused, according to an NFL.com report earlier this week citing unnamed sources.

Davis played all but one of 73 defensive snaps; Jackson played none.

Jackson stood on the sideline with his shoes untied, declining to play because he said he wasn’t properly warmed up to enter the game. Jackson was active for the game, a 24-17 victory, after he was a surprise addition to the inactive list for the Chargers’ Week 3 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

It was an act of defiance that last week led to the Chargers trading Jackson back to the New England Patriots, where he had established himself as one of the most dynamic defensive backs in the NFL over the first four seasons of his career. He had earned the nickname “Mr. INT.”

With the Chargers, with whom he signed a mammoth five-year, $82.5 million free-agent contract with $40 million guaranteed in 2022, Jackson was “Mr. MIA,” as in missing in action. He played only seven games with the Chargers over one-plus seasons, intercepting only one pass.

“We just felt like this was the best course for our team,” Chargers coach Brandon Staley said Thursday of trading Jackson and a late-round draft pick in 2025 to the Patriots in exchange for a late-round pick in ‘25.  “There was a body of work to go off of. We felt like this direction was best for our football team.”

Reminded of past comments about taking a patient approach with Jackson in the wake of a significant knee injury suffered while defending a touchdown pass during the Chargers’ loss Oct. 23, 2022 to the Seattle Seahawks, Staley said, “Like I said, there was a body of work to go off of, two years’ worth of a body of work.

“We just felt like this was the best course for our team.”

Asked specifically about the NFL.com report that Jackson had refused to play while asked repeatedly by coaches to enter the Chargers’ victory over the Raiders on Oct. 1 at SoFi Stadium, Staley said, “I’m not talking any more about J.C. We’re moving forward as a team, and that’s behind us.”

The Chargers were 0-2 with Jackson on the field this season and 2-0 without him. He sat out two games last season after undergoing minor ankle surgery just before the start of the regular season and then suffered a season-ending ruptured right patellar tendon while preparing to jump to defend a pass.

By all accounts, Jackson was diligent in his rehabilitation work after undergoing surgery on his knee. He spent the offseason working out at the Chargers’ facility and attended springtime practices, although he wasn’t sound enough to participate fully with his teammates on the field.

However, the NFL.com report, citing unnamed sources, suggested that friction had developed between Jackson and the Chargers’ coaching, athletic training and support staffs. The article did not include specific examples, however, and Jackson was unavailable for comment Thursday.

Jackson played roughly half of the Patriots’ defensive snaps in his return to New England this past Sunday, a 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Chargers returned from their bye this week, content with Davis, Asante Samuel Jr., Ja’Sir Taylor, Alohi Gilman and Derwin James Jr. as their top defensive backs.

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Gilman didn’t practice Thursday because of a heel injury, but fellow safety James was a full participant after sitting out against the Raiders because of an injured hamstring.

“Things just didn’t work out how we needed them to work out, you know, for both sides,” James said of the Chargers’ decision to trade Jackson. “I just feel like it was best for both sides. Like I said, we wanted it to work out, but it just didn’t happen. That’s what happens in the NFL.”

The Chargers play the Patriots on Dec. 3 at New England.

​ Orange County Register 

Meet USC’s De’jon Benton, a budding poet who always saw his own potential

• October 12, 2023

The microphone dangled from his right hand, a notebook perched in his left, the prose taking a minute to hit De’jon Benton’s tongue.

He was a thinker, not a rusher. And a sanctuary of creatives waited for him this August night, an artist development workshop the brainchild of Leila Steinberg, the founder of emotional-literacy foundation Aim4TheHeart and the first manager to one Tupac Shakur.

Participants, as required by Steinberg, must bring an artistic response to a particular topic for every workshop. And for two weeks, when he first showed up, Benton didn’t speak, Steinberg remembered. Not one word. No contribution. No discussion.

“Always hard with ballplayers,” Steinberg said, “because we have an impression that they’re not thinkers.”

But he came back. Always. So she figured there was something.

It hurts Regina Sherman to say, as a mother. But many simply never saw her son’s potential. Benton grew up with a stutter, taking speech classes through his time at Pittsburg High in the Bay Area, birthing a highly intentional and oft-deliberate approach to speaking. He had learning differences, his Pittsburg football coaches came to find, that sometimes necessitated explaining his assignments repeatedly. Sherman, herself, never anticipated Benton going to college for financial reasons, a largely single mother making ends meet on a nurse’s assistant’s salary.

Centennial High offensive lineman Ryan Suliafu, left, reaches out against Pittsburg High defensive tackle De’jon Benton in the first half of a game Aug. 25, 2017, in Corona. (Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

But Benton was recruited by USC out of Pittsburg, and has stuck out four tumultuous years as a Trojan to become a key piece of USC’s defensive line. Found himself, too, through lyricism and spoken-word, an outlet that’s grown since he first started putting pen to paper in high school.

When the 6-foot-1, 270-pound redshirt senior finally shared at the workshop, Benton gave an off-the-cuff, “Shakespearean” spoken-word performance, as Aim4TheHeart outreach director Louis King said, that blew the group away.

“I was like, ‘Oh, (expletive)’ … this kid’s mind is really special,” Steinberg said.

His second time sharing was written. And on the way from USC’s practice field, in the back of an Uber, Benton scratched a series of words out in his notebook, coming to stand in front of the group that night in black shorts adorned with a small USC logo. Pensive as ever.

Then launching into a story in spoken-word, voice deep and unwavering, of his journey, of heartbreak and blood spillage and a young man trying to make sense of chaos in the world around him.

***

I ask myself, he began, what would help me reach this potential?

In the eighth grade, Sherman got a call from one of Benton’s teachers, saying he was acting up in class. That was nothing new – the school rung her quite literally every single day about her son, Sherman emphasized – but the circumstances were. Somehow, he was goofing around, stood up on a chair, sat down and broke it.

Wait, how does he sit down and break a chair? Sherman questioned. “I don’t know,” she was told, “but he broke a chair.”

He was quiet, Sherman said, when he started at Antioch Middle School. One day, Benton called his mother at lunch. He didn’t usually call his mother at lunch.

“What’s wrong, son?” she asked, prying repeatedly beyond Benton’s one-word responses.

“I just don’t have any friends,” Sherman remembered her son saying, eventually. “I just feel alone, so I wanted to call you.”

It snapped her heart in two. She stayed with him on the phone for 30 minutes, until lunch was over.

“And then a few months later, he’s like, breaking chairs,” Sherman said. “So I guess he made friends.”

They lived in a part of Antioch, then, where there was absolutely no way Benton’s mother would let him walk home by himself. When Benton’s middle-school graduation rolled around, she got a call: He couldn’t get his cap and gown, because the school still hadn’t been paid back for the chair he broke.

She made $14 an hour. Barely had enough to pay rent. But Sherman made it work. Always did.

Things didn’t get easier in high school, when Pittsburg defensive-line coach Isamu Falevai – also a school counselor – noticed, simply, that Benton was struggling. He grew into a unique on-field talent, a blend of speed and size Pittsburg had rarely seen; but academic issues persisted from middle school, Sherman telling Benton to get his grades up or she’d call his coaches to not let him play.

If you aren’t vested in these kids, Falevai said, you would think they’re lazy. Benton was not. You’d think they were just trying to skate by. Benton was not. He had extraordinary depth, as then-defensive coordinator Charlie Ramirez said. He just needed time. And eventually, his coaches worked with him and his teachers to set up an independent learning plan, seeing rapid growth in his grades in his junior and senior years.

Her son, Sherman said, never gave up on himself.

“It might take him a while to get there,” Sherman said, “but he always, he gets there.”

***

The endurance of a man’s heart, over time, becomes weak, Benton continued in August, pacing across the room. No longer willing to fight. Eyes no longer light.

In Benton’s sophomore year at Pittsburg, JV coaches started telling Falevai that the player was always late to practice. Or hanging out in the locker room. Or just not there. And eventually, Falevai realized there was a deeper reason here.

So the counselor sat him down one day, and told Benton he’d stay until he told him what was going on.

Benton’s father Dwayne, Falevai learned, lived in Stockton with his family, about an hour away. Every so often, he’d call his son for help, needing someone to watch Benton’s young half-sisters. So the kid would find a bus to Stockton, or a ride up there, or something, and his own life would grind to a halt.

They had a great relationship, Sherman said, Dwayne once a football player and rapper himself who’d take baby De’jon to spend entire weekends in a studio. Life for his father grew tough, though, Falevai learning at times he’d tell his son he had no electricity or running water. It left Benton thinking of his siblings, feeling helpless, Falevai said, so the son would drop everything at a moment’s notice.

“My pops,” Benton said after one USC practice in September, “he had the same ambitions as I have now. He’s done exactly what I’ve done.”

“I used to see light in his eyes,” Benton continued, referring to his own line of prose. “And now it’s more so, survival mode. And so that had put it into perspective for me.”

The endurance of man’s heart becomes weak.

During his junior year, Benton started writing. Always had loved reading, always asking his mom to buy him books, vocabulary expanding behind a diminishing stutter. It became an outlet, experimenting with spoken-word, experimenting with beats, an outlet he never quite made public – to even his own mother – until he began with Aim4TheHeart.

An outlet to understand, to express, through avoiding going down the wrong path in Pittsburg because he’d think of the look on his mother’s face, through his father’s journey and his own, through his own grasp on the very meaning of everything.

***

There are places on this planet that never reached its potential, Benton finished at the workshop, a room rapt. I will reach mine. I won’t be the victim of my own eye.

When the lineman first signed with USC, Falevai was excited. Also worried.

“He’s special,” Falevai tried to explain to USC coaches. “You just gotta be patient.”

And Benton still struggled at times, Falevai said, his first couple years as a Trojan, with timeliness. He played sparingly his first three seasons, and then the coaching staff that recruited him cycled out as Lincoln Riley took over, and conventional wisdom laid that he ought to transfer.

Benton relented. He chose to stick it out. Majoring in Non-Governmental Organizations and Social Change, he wanted a degree from USC, he’d tell Falevai, his mom pushing him to finish his education.

“De’jon, when we got here, I didn’t know if he was going to make it – I mean, I didn’t know if he was going to make the rigors of the program, the demands, the accountability,” Riley said, after USC-Colorado in late September.

USC defensive end Solomon Byrd (51) celebrates a stop with defensive lineman De’jon Benton (79) during their game against Arizona State on Sept. 23, 2023, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Last year, Riley said, was up-and-down for Benton. A lot of tough love. But even as USC has brought in a slew of new faces on the line, Benton has earned major snaps against Colorado and Arizona, sixth on the team in tackles for loss and sacks.

“It’s funny, when you kind of get all your life in order, all of a sudden – his grades are good, he’s on time for stuff – he’s playing good ball,” Riley said.

For now, spoken-word, rap, poetry are all an outlet for Benton, Steinberg said. Just an outlet. Wants to leave it there, for him to focus on the now, seeing music or a book or public speaking stark in his future.

“He hasn’t even realized how powerful when he’s in front of a room,” Steinberg said. “He just has an electricity, and a beauty about him.”

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The world around him, it appears, is catching up to the potential he’s seen in himself. Potential he wants to bring to a mic.

“It just made me have a different perspective,” Benton said, seeming to solve his own mind in real time. “Football was also that second life, as you could say. When I played football, I didn’t just see football as football. I see football as life – like a mini-simulation of life itself.”

“Everything leading up to the moment in which I’m supposed to play, and if I’m ballin’ or if I’m (expletive) the bed, it was all because of actions and what led up to that,” Benton continued. “I go back to the days … like, ‘Damn, OK. If I get another breath for tomorrow’s day, I’ll change it.’”

​ Orange County Register