Mark Sanchez Donates to Help His Old High School Team Get to New Jersey

Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets played most of his high school ball at Mission Viejo High where my kids attended. The Diablo team will be playing a pre-season game in New Jersey and Sanchez has contributed to help his team make the trip (from the Mission Viejo Dispatch):

The Diablos trip to New Jersey next month will cost more than $125,000, but NY Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is helping out, according to ESPN.

The trip will be paid exclusively from fundraising. Continental Tire is the leading commercial benefactor. ESPN, which will televise the game, reports Sanchez, a former MVHS star, is believed to have contributed $20,000.

The Mission football team will be playing the nations #1 team, Don Bosco, in the DB 10,000 seat stadium on September 10. The Diablos are #5 in the national FAB50 pre-season ranking by ESPN and Powerade.

The 100-person Mission team and staff will arrive 5 days early and practice at Jets Stadium in Florham Park, N.J. A little NY City sightseeing is also on the schedule.

I watched Sanchez play his last two years at Mission Viejo High School and it was pretty obvious he was going to be a star. In those two seasons the team lost only one game and won a CIF championship.

Sanchez still shows up here from time-to-time in the summer to work out with some of his Jets teammates.  He's still pretty tight with his old high school and the coaching staff.