As Wildcat football players rush off the field due to a loose facemask, a broken shoulder pad, or a blood-stained jersey, they head straight for Eric “Zeke” Zeker, Brea Olinda High School’s equipment manager.

At BOHS’s Homecoming game Oct. 10, for instance, Zeke played a substantial role in the Wildcats’ 36-35 win over St. Margaret’s, on standby throughout the game to ensure players and coaches could compete without missing a beat — from managing the many pieces of equipment for the 73-man roster, to trouble-shooting the coach’s tablets, to manning the endzone video rig.

For 25 years, Zeke has been a dependable presence (and a visible one in his colorful polos and hoodies) on the Wildcat sidelines, dedicating his time and expertise to support BOHS athletes on game days. While his behind-the-scenes work — in the equipment and locker rooms and amongst the dozens of players and coaches on the field — may go unnoticed to those in the stands, to the players and coaches of BOHS, Zeke is an essential part of competition and Wildcat traditions.

“Without him,” Kyle Mahlstede, varsity assistant coach, said, “the program wouldn’t run.” 

Although a typical football game lasts three hours, an equipment manager’s preparation for the game takes all week.  

The morning after the football team’s game against Westminster on Oct. 3, for example, Zeke was in the BOHS athletics facility washing the team’s white “away” jerseys (all 73 of them), then organizing them by size and hanging them neatly on racks.

Uniforms clean, on Wednesdays, Zeke tests and sets-up the coaching staff’s technology, including tablets, a video camera, and headsets.

On Thursdays, he shifts his focus to the junior varsity game — more jerseys, more gear, more tech to sort, distribute, and manage.

However, the heft of Zeke’s work is on varsity game days.

Zeke arrives at BOHS at 2 p.m. on Fridays to prepare for the arrival of the varsity roster. As players trickle into the locker room, Zeke hands them their jerseys, fits them for pads, and tends to any of the athletes’ equipment needs.

For the Homecoming game, Zeke supplied the entire team with pink socks for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and even helped some of the players turn the stockings into arm sleeves. 

“I like to support the kids any way I can,” Zeke said.

But preparation for game day is only half the job. 

Throughout the game, Zeke is an active presence amongst the athletes, coaches, and trainers massed on the sidelines, ready to solve player equipment issues and to troubleshoot technology glitches. 

Zeke is also tasked with management of the program’s gadgets. Pre-game, he lines a table with the coach’s headsets, making sure they’re fully charged and connected. 

“He gets all the electronics ready, all the TVs ready, and we can watch Hudl [recruiting app] because of him,” Ryan Nero (’26), wide receiver, said.

One of the very first things high school football players do when receiving game film is to post it on their social media accounts. That footage, supplied by the Wildcat football program, is another of Zeke’s duties.

Hours before the contest starts, Zeke heads to the south end zone to get the camera equipment ready, including “too many cords to count.” The process of plugging them all in  takes about an hour.

But because he’s admittedly “very bad with technology,” he tasks the football program’s freshmen boys’ players with operating the camera, which sits atop a towering pole, during games. 

“I have the freshmen do it because it only requires a few buttons to be pushed, and it gives me time to do other stuff,” Zeke said.

Zeke’s role, however, goes beyond assisting athletes and coaches gear up on game days; he also supports the many photographers who prowl the sidelines, the Wildcat medical crew tending aid to the athletes, and even to anyone who who appears cold — beside Zeke’s table are plastic bins filled with Wildcat football hoodies to hand out to shivering coaches, players, and medical interns.

After the final whistle, and after the players and coaches have retreated to the locker room, Zeke remains on the field to pack up. Usually, the veteran equipment manager is the first to arrive, the last to leave. 

While Zeke enjoys participating in the football team’s competitions as manager, he also values the opportunity to work with family. For instance, his godson, Carter Porter, who is nonverbal, helps out with the team’s laundry on weekends. The routine provides the two an opportunity to connect and to enjoy each other’s company through the simple, shared tasks.

“It allows Carter to have a job and it keeps him active and gives me a chance to hang out with him,” Zeke said.

Zeke also brings in his cousin, Rodney Akinia, for assistance in the locker room. “It gets him out of the house, gives him some purpose, and he likes doing it,” Zeke said.

Before the game, Akinia loops belts through all the pants, organizes jerseys by size, and distributes the jerseys to the players. During the game, Akina assists with any of Zeke’s needs – finding tools, cutting through pads, and holding flashlights. 

But most of all, Zeke continues to serve as Wildcat equipment manager because of his relationships with program’s student athletes, making every season unique and worthwhile.

“He does everything selflessly,” Justin Villasenor, varsity head coach, said. “All the kids love him and we appreciate him. He’s definitely part of our success.”