It’s a tradition for the Marquez High football team to raise a black Gladiators flag up the stadium pole after each victory.
Imagine how often that flag could be raised each time Elyjah Staples, the school’s star outside linebacker, earned an A on his report card? That’s the only grade he’s gotten in three years of classes, no matter taking Chemistry, Algebra 2 or Advanced Placement U.S. History.
He seems to be in a personal competition to keep getting A’s along with sacks at the Huntington Park school.
“He’s one of a kind,” coach Rudy Fortiz said. “Just his leadership. ‘Hey, you’re doing this wrong.’ Everyone follows. Whatever he wants to do, he’s going to put his mind to it.”
Last season, as a sophomore in his first year playing high school football, Staples had 13 sacks. He also played volleyball, basketball and ran track. Now he’s 6 feet 3, 205 pounds, only 16 years old, has a football scholarship offer from Stanford and wants to be his school’s valedictorian in 2027. Older brother Ezavier Staples plays receiver for UCLA.
He’s on his way to becoming as synonymous with Marquez as former basketball standout Mitchell Butler was for attending tiny Oakwood in North Hollywood before going on to UCLA and the NBA.
Wherever the 16-year-old Staples walks on campus, he’s recognized. He loves participating and welcoming strangers and friends alike. It makes perfect sense as a freshman he decided to take a year off from playing football and joined the cheer squad. That’s part of his outgoing personality. Then he had a change of heart when the football team was struggling.
“I saw everyone out there and I was like, ‘I have to get back to this excitement.’ And they were losing. I was, ‘I got to get out there to do something,’” Staples said.
Last week against La Puente, he caught four touchdown passes and made 10 tackles with two sacks. He has five sacks on the season and leads the team with 15 receptions for 517 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He’s perfectly comfortable and confident sticking with Marquez (4-1) and playing in the City Section despite his growing recognition as a future college athlete.
“The No. 1 reason is community,” he said. “I’m really big on how I’m treated. I feel I’m very loved on campus. I love the academics. The teachers are flexible.”
His academic success is a family tradition and requirement. “I looked up to my brothers and they kept having good grades and my mom is strict,” he said. “She told my coaches, ‘If his grades aren’t up there, his sports stuff is cut off.’”
Staples plays in so many sports at Marquez that fans get to see him perform all year long.
“I hear ‘Staples’ a lot from the stands,” he said. “I’m always playing sports. Whenever they see me, it’s Staples, Staples, Staples.”
That sounds like a future NIL opportunity sponsored by Staples, the office supply company.
Marquez faces a tough challenge from Eagle Rock, a passing team, on Friday night. Quarterback Liam Pasten is known to use his athleticism to create opportunities, so it will be fun to see how he deals with Staples trying to chase him down.
Staples certainly makes it clear football has become his sport of choice.
“It’s the excitement and being out there with my teammates and being like a family. This is my family now,’’ he said.