Good Sports: Valley students picked to work on USC's turf ahead of season opener

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Golden Valley High School seniors Greyson Dockstader and Cody Peterson aren't just cutting grass.

They hope that they're cutting the wait time for a future career.

"I've always wanted to be a part of a grounds crew, when I see them out there, when I watch baseball, football games," Peterson said.

Atwater and Golden Valley High School are pioneers on the West Coast for a class called Turf and Sports Field Management.

It's something we first introduced to you last Fall.

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"We've got a lot of athletes that didn't think ag was of interest to them, but they've gone into the program and really excelled," says Atwater High School Teacher Dave Gossman.

This year, both schools were invited by USC to send students to help get the football field ready for the Trojans season opener on August 30.

"You can learn stuff in a classroom, but to be able to go to the actual field and learn from experienced professionals, it's a different perspective," Dockstader said.

Greyson and Cody are two of the four local students picked for a trip heading to The Coliseum.

"We're on an immaculate field, and our kids get to say, 'Hey, we did that.'" Says Golden Valley High School teacher, Kevin Magill.

It's an opportunity that could set up a career for these Valley students.

The students will get the chance to learn hands-on from the Trojans staff and crew.

"Hoping to bring more of that knowledge to the program so we can teach people how to be in the industry, how to get ready to work," Peterson said.

The Atwater program has already been invited to Pebble Beach, Oracle Park and several spring training sites.

After helping the Trojans field staff, the four students will be invited to watch USC's season opener.

"It gets us giddy that we get to go help get a field ready that we watch on ESPN," Magill said.

It's a hands-on lesson that puts these students on the field

"The classroom can kind of make it seem it's a perfect job and nothing can go wrong," Peterson said. "This is really what I want to do with my life. I want to pursue the turf grass industry and make it my career someday."

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