Foothill senior Bobby Okereke won the Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Trophy that is presented to the nation’s top African American male high school scholar-athlete by The National Alliance of African American Athletes.
Okereke was among five finalists for the award. He received the award Saturday during a ceremony in Washington.
Okereke, who signed with Stanford, was All-Orange County first team as a linebacker and also was a standout receiver and running back. He played in the Semper Fidelis All-American Game. He has a 4.5 GPA and is a member of the California Scholarship Federation.
National Alliance executive director J. Everette Pearsall said Okereke embodies what the Watkins Award stands for.
“The Watkins goes to a young man poised for success, on and off the field,” Pearsall said. “We felt Bobby Okereke is symbolic of that. … Bobby stood out (from the other finalists) in terms of his dedication to service and to his education, and his extracurricular activities.”
Marcus McCutcheon of Edison won the Watkins in 2002.
