DAILY PILOT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Preston Oklejas figures he’d like to be a teacher someday, so he can have the opportunity to do something similar to what he does now: help disadvantaged youth.

Oklejas hasn’t grown up with a shortage of opportunities. He attends Sage Hill School, a prestigious Newport Beach private school known for its rigorous academics.

His parents live in an intimate gated community, not far from Newport Beach and Big Canyon country clubs.

But one of the places where Oklejas is most comfortable is NOVA Academy in Santa Ana, where he and teammate Michael Higgins volunteer. They run clinics teaching basketball fundamentals to students who attend the small charter school run by Olive Crest children’s charity.

Oklejas, who also has four small nieces — the oldest is 6 — said he just likes being with children, and he wants to major in education or sociology next year in college.

“I just feel like bonding with them is good for their future and good for everyone,” said the Lightning’s senior wide receiver. “It’s pretty self-rewarding and the kids enjoy it too, so it’s a win-win situation for everybody.”

Oklejas became involved with NOVA, which stands for New Opportunities for Visionary Academics, through his mother. Gina Oklejas is a former prosecutor who handled child abuse cases and now sits on Olive Crest’s education board.

His first love is basketball, but Oklejas started playing football when a Sage Hill assistant saw him working out with his basketball trainer, Rick Stokes. Thomas Diaz, an Edison graduate who was the Lightning’s wide receivers coach last year, told Oklejas to not let his talent atrophy.

“He said I have a good athletic ability and I shouldn’t waste it all on basketball,” Oklejas said, laughing. He heard the same thing from an assistant coach when he was a freshman at Corona del Mar, which is how he became involved in football.

In fact, most of Oklejas’ neighborhood friends, like Tyler Harmon and Austin Raiger, who both played for CdM, play football somewhere. They all used to play together in the park with Matt Barkley and Robbie Boyer, who now play at Mater Dei.

“I actually lived across the street from Robbie for a long time,” Oklejas said. “We were best friends. I still talk to them a lot too. Before they started at Mater Dei, we used to hang out with each other all the time. We don’t see each other that much, but we still keep in touch.”

Oklejas played on the freshman team at CdM, but he injured his knee. He transferred to Sage Hill for the beginning of his sophomore year, and played his first full year of football as a junior.

At six-foot-five, 200 pounds, Oklejas is the tallest player on Sage Hill’s football team, and his speed has helped make him an attractive candidate for college football recruiters.

Oklejas finished the regular season with 41 catches for 688 yards and 12 touchdowns in just his second full year playing football.

Oklejas, who plays football and basketball at Sage Hill, has been to football recruiting camps at Minnesota and the University of San Diego.

He’s also looking at playing basketball for Oregon, where he would likely be a walk-on if he played football at all, or Chapman University, in Orange, where he could play both sports.

Oklejas also plays shooting guard for his club basketball team, the Anaheim Wolfpack.

Oklejas had the best football game of his career Friday in a 60-37 win over Capistrano Valley Christian, when he caught nine passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns.

While he has the height to play tight end, Oklejas has the speed to play wide receiver.

“He’s considerably taller than the corners a lot of times, so he’s a great target for Jamie [McGee],” said Sage Hill coach Pete Anderson. “With Preston, you just throw the high ball, and know that he can go up and get it, so he’s really tough to cover.”

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com. SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com.