On Thursday, Sept. 22, two buses packed with Leo football players, coaches, cheerleaders and chaperones set out for Washington, D.C., for a Friday game with Friendship Academy, a D.C. charter school. A day of sightseeing completed a busy weekend.

Friendship Academy is a strong team, with three Division I recruits. The Lions hung tough for three quarters, but fatigue from the bus trip was a factor in the

fourth as Friendship pulled away for a 35-18 victory. Keith Harris scored on a 90-yard run, Theodore Hopkins returned a fumble for a touchdown and Jarod Cooper threw a TD pass to Darius Gaddy for the Lions.

On Saturday the Leo party took in some of the nation’s most historic sites, including the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln and Martin Luther King memorials. They were also part of the background scene for a music video being shot by a rapper with Chicago ties.

“One of the producers saw our Leo gear and knew we were from Chicago, so he invited us into the shoot,” Coach Mike Holmes said.

Most members of the Leo group were first-time visitors to D.C.

“These were places I’d read about or heard about or seen on TV,” Hopkins said. “Seeing them in person, you know they’re real.”

The football team did its own fundraising to pay for the trip, with help from some generous supporters of Leo athletics.

“We’d like to thank everyone who helped make a great weekend possible,” Coach Holmes said.