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NHS Football Camp kicks off
This weekend, teams in the National Football League will begin reporting to training camp.
What’s the holdup?
The Nevada Tigers have been at it all week.
“I think we’re ahead of where we were last year, offensively. I just have a lot of kids stepping up and looking good,” said NHS head football coach Wes Beachler Friday morning after the conclusion of his first week of the Nevada Tigers High School Football Camp, which will continue for four more days starting on Monday. “Next week, we’ll be spending a lot more time on our other alignments. And there will be a lot more indie time, too. This week was more about team.”
So far, the estimated 50 players who have shown up every morning have learned from Beachler and his coaching staff the team’s basic formations on both sides of the ball, practiced proper first step and pad level technique, and even gotten a chance to show off their kicking skills (last season’s kicker graduated, so the spot is open for competition) — among plenty of other drills.
Most importantly, according to Beachler, the goal of the first week of camp was to make players, especially the younger ones, understand how much faster and more physical high school football is than any level they have played before.
“With the freshmen, and this goes clear back to youth, a lot of times if you’re a big, strong kid you can stand up and manhandle the guy across from you. In high school, that goes away,” Beachler said. “The way they approach the first step after the ball is snapped is huge in high school football. It’s a huge advantage, so we’re trying to get that all lined out.”
Although some football players have been unable to attend camp due to summer jobs or other obligations, Beachler added that offensive line and running back depth have not been lacking, despite the fewer bodies.
So, aside from kicker, the biggest question mark at the moment is defense — a unit that should be tested early this fall with opening games against Logan-Rogersville (which runs a spread offense), Hollister (a wild card with a new head coach), and Cassville (smash-mouth, run-heavy).
“You’ve got to be prepared for everything those first three weeks,” said Beachler, who admitted he would have liked all his players to be able to attend camp in order to best prepare for the season ahead, while also expressing confidence that the ones who are able to train will get the most out of it. “If you’re a head coach and you want your program to be successful and do things right, that’s going to frustrate you. But I’m very happy with the kids we have, and that’s what we’re focused on. We’re going to keep getting those kids better and go from there.”
