BINGHAMTON -- Like so many young men their age, David Danisa and Jurell Spivey could have fallen under the spell of gangs and wound up selling drugs on a Binghamton street corner.

But while some friends became gang members, Danisa and Spivey resisted the lure of gangs, and the prestige, acceptance, love and easy money they offered. Instead of curling into fists or gripping a gun, their large hands tossed footballs, hoisted dumbbells and reached out to younger students.

Keeping young people busy and involved with school sports and clubs can help keep them out of gangs, experts say.

"There's a lot of pressures in high school," Danisa said. "If you have people who are helping you out in programs, you start having more self-respect. You can fight through the hard stuff."

Danisa and Spivey graduated from Binghamton High School in 2001 and are in their second year of college as education majors: Danisa at the State University of New York at Oswego and Spivey at Broome Community College in Dickinson.

The best friends spent summer 2001 and 2002 helping younger students stay out of gangs. Spivey is also the outreach coordinator for Broome County Gang Prevention and works to help youths avoid gangs.

Danisa, a doe-eyed, muscular young man with neat cornrows, and Spivey, a tall, muscular young man with a ready smile, said they nearly took the wrong path when they were 13 years old.

Danisa had a brush with the law, but charges were later dropped. Spivey once skipped a month's worth of classes. They saw friends drop out of school and join gangs, and considered taking that path.

Some older brothers of their longtime friends were involved in gangs, Spivey said. While neither Spivey nor Danisa was directly asked to join a gang, they were tempted to follow in their footsteps.

"I had been watching their lifestyle on TV for years," Spivey said. "It was the uncharted river."

But Danisa and Spivey took another path. They credit Douglas Stento, the district's safe and drug-free schools coordinator, with getting the pair to participate in football and weightlifting, which gave them a sense of belonging that some young people seek in gangs.

"That's what the lure of gangs is," Stento said. "A lot of kids do feel a sense of alienation from school."

Stento shares the credit with former football coach Steve Deinhardt and weightlifting coach Michael Ramil.

Danisa and Spivey's days became filled with studying, football playing, weightlifting and volunteering.

"After that, you don't have time to do anything bad," Danisa said.

Volunteers such as Michael Torrez of Binghamton are working to open a teen center where gang members and at-risk youths can play basketball and baseball, learn Latin music and dancing, and take karate lessons.

"They're going to have to be our kids," he said. "Take time out to show them the right path."

A caring adult who volunteers as a mentor or for programs such as the Boys and Girls Club can help young people stay out of trouble. Spivey, for example, tries to do this through his outreach work.

Becoming busy and involved can help students find their place in life. Spivey and Danisa said they found their calling:teaching. Spivey helps children through his outreach job and as a volunteer basketball coach. He teaches students on the basketball court about respect, hard work and perseverance.

Walking the straight and narrow isn't easy, but it's worth it, both said.

"It's a little bit harder to stick to the books and commit yourself," Danisa said. "But it pays off more to do it. I don't think I would be going to college if I didn't get involved in all the things that I got involved in."