Hard Knock Winner

CASTLEMONT HIGH
Oakland

HARD KNOCK DOES not produce a lot of uplifting news. One of Oakland's toughest neighborhoods, the 30-block area of low-income housing, liquor stores and pawn shops has a rising murder rate and double-digit unemployment. Even its sports prospects have been dim. Castlemont High, the school that serves Hard Knock, has been the perennial doormat of the Oakland Athletic League. But this year the Knights have given the neighborhood something to cheer about. Led by coach Amin Denny, who has installed a new offense and a winning attitude even as he battles cancer, Castlemont has put together an improbable run. The Knights, 3--8 last year, will take their 7--2 record into the regular-season finale this Saturday--with a shot at their first league title since '68.

"We got the kids to buy into the program," says assistant coach Lloyd Johnson, who helped implement the spread offense this season, a move that has seen the Knights average 26.3 points, a jump of 18 points over last season. "This team is proof that even in Hard Knock, good things can happen to good people."

Castlemont has some big-time talent--senior linebacker Richard Lee, senior receiver-cornerback Brandon Davis and junior cornerback--running back Dwight Armstrong are Division I prospects--but the Knights' revival owes much to fourth-year coach Denny, a linebacker on the '83 team that had Castlemont's last winning record. Denny, 40, had already brought more intensity and innovation to the program when he was diagnosed with colon cancer early this year. "After Coach told us about the cancer," says Lee, who leads the team in tackles, "we said we were going to dedicate the season to Coach and give him a reason to keep fighting." Besides adding the spread offense, which allows them to take advantage of their exceptional speed at the skill positions, the team has been more disciplined, decreasing penalties by 50% from last year.

Denny, a father of four girls, has endured two surgeries and chemotherapy since February. He has lost 50 pounds and is often too weak to stand during games--but he can surprise his players. With the Knights trailing Oakland Tech 13--12 in the third quarter on Oct. 27, a Castlemont receiver drew a penalty for excessive celebration. Denny leaped off the bench and chased the referee along the sideline. "Seeing Coach running around gets all of us hyped," says Davis. After that play the Knights ran off 18 straight points to win 30--13 on 673 yards of total offense. "These kids inspire me," says Denny. "The pain goes away when I'm on the field."

Castlemont's immediate challenge is to get by league leaders McClymonds and Skyline; with Denny's help they have an outside chance. "My family and doctors would like me to give up coaching, but I can't," Denny says. "They're special kids."