Summaries

Synopsis

There are 120,000 juveniles in detention centers across the US. Upon release, 75% will return to prison or die on the streets.

Sean Porter (Dwayne Johnson) works at Kilpatrick Detention Center in Los Angeles. He is frustrated at not being able to help the kids get away from their problems in life, such as street gangs and drug dealings.Even inside the detention center, gang violence is rampant as members of opposite gangs attack each other at every opportunity they get. Even the kids know that they would be in jail in 4 years' time.

Willie Weathers in a juvenile inmate who lost his cousin Roger Weathers (Michael J. Pagan) to gang violence in the streets. Willie was part of the 88's gang and Roger was mowed down by a car being driven by the rival 95 gang. Willie was encouraged by the 88's leader to seek retribution for Roger's death and was handed a firearm. Willie ended up confronting a 95 member Antony in a grocery store but is unable to shoot him dead. Willie returned home where his mother Sharon (Anna Maria Horsford) was taught by her boyfriend that Roger died in an accident. Willie is livid at the idea and wants the boyfriend to leave, when the boyfriend attacks Willie, he shoots him dead.

Porter decides to create a football team so the teens can feel like they're part of something and believes football will teach them what it takes to be responsible, mature, and disciplined winners. Assistant Coach Malcolm Moore (Xzibit) is drafted in to help Porter. Ted Dexter (Kevin Dunn) and Paul Higa (Leon Rippy) are administrators of the center and are skeptical of Porter's plan. Paul warns Porter that he is sticking his neck out for this program.

Porter picks out a few kids in the room that he feels will benefit from this program and requires that they practice with him the following day. He states to his new team, the Kilpatrick Mustangs, "You do it my way, not your way. Your way got you here and you're here because you lost. Right now, you are all losers, but if you accept this challenge and stick with the program, you are all going to be winners at the end."Porter says that the football field and the players are now part of the Gridiron gang.

Two of the teens do not get along because they are from rival gangs. Willie Weathers (Jade Yorker) are from the 88's and Kelvin Owens (David V. Thomas) is from the 95's. Sean works very hard to instill a sense to team spirit & pride in being part of the Mustangs. He succeeds to some extent when some players respond to his calls for hard work & discipline.Porter orders $10,000 worth of equipment and Ted says that Porter will get suspended as he is not authorized for such large expenses. Porter says that intends to stretch out the hearing and the appeals process and by that time the season will be over.

The first game is against the best team in the league, Barrington. The game starts out somewhat positive for the Mustangs, as they recover a fumble on the first drive, but things quickly turn. They are demolished by Barrington, losing by 38 points. After starting 0-2, the Mustangs start winning games as they learn to work together. Kelvin and Willie finally shake hands when they win a game by one touchdown after Kelvin makes a big block for Willie. Near the end of the season, the Mustangs are headed for the playoffs. They are getting more publicity and more fans along the way.

One of Willie's 88 gang mates Free (Omari Hardwick) stops by the field. He realizes that Kelvin is a 95. Free and Kelvin get into a fight, and Free shoots Kelvin in the shoulder. As Free prepares to put another bullet in Kelvin's head, Willie runs toward Free and tackles him to the ground to save Kelvin. Free is shocked that Willie helped Kelvin and not him.

The police show up, and Free runs off. He fires at the responding officers who fire in return, killing him. Willie becomes distraught about Free being killed. He even started a fight with one of the inmates after he criticized him for getting his "Homeboy" Free killed and was sent to the box. Coach Porter visited Willie and told him he was not the same loser he once was when he got here.

Kilpatrick is almost forced to forfeit the playoff game due to concerns about further gang violence, and Coach Porter had to convince everyone that football helped the players break away from their usual problems also developing a bond, but Porter's boss steps in and arranges for volunteers from neighboring police departments to patrol the game. The County Sheriff's spokesperson states that "We will do whatever it takes to ensure that gangs do not take over the lives of our youth".

Although Kelvin survives the attack, he will not be able to play in the finals. In the next game, against Barrington, the Mustangs go into the half down 14-0. Willie gives a motivational speech, and they go out and beat Barrington on the last play of the game. It is revealed in the narration that they lost the championship game, but no one called them losers. A few months later, Sean's football method is officially made part of the program.

Nearly all the former members of the Mustangs are doing well in their new lives outside the detention center. Willie Weathers is playing football for a top boarding school, Kelvin Owens is playing football for Washington High, Kenny Bates (Trever O'Brien) is going to school in Redondo Beach and is living with his mother, Junior Palaita (Setu Taase) got a job working for furniture company. Five are back in jail, and Bug Wendal (Brandon Mychal Smith) was killed in a drive-by shooting in Compton, California.

In all, 24 of the players are continuing their educations, three are working full-time jobs, and only five are back in jail. A new group of Mustangs starts training for the next season.