When it comes to boys sports in Iola, baseball is king. But Iola High Mustangs head football coach David Daugharthy hopes the culture can change to have more youngsters passionate about football.
The Mustangs are holding a youth football camp this week from 7 – 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday at Riverside Park. This is an opportunity for aspiring gridiron stars to learn from varsity football coaches, and instill a love for the game that teaches numerous life lessons.
The most important aspect of football is learning how to work with others as a team, Daugharthy said. A majority of sports are team-related, but no other sport in Iola involves the individual relying on 10 others at the same time.
John Taylor is the director of youth football for Iola, and currently doesnt have the numbers to field a team for third-and fourth-graders. In years past, the Mustang youth football camp received low numbers, and the camp discontinued for a period of time due to coaching changes.
Taylor believed reinstating the camp would create a stronger connection with those in the stands and the players/coaches on the field.
We want to create a football family in town, not just a football program, Taylor said. So getting all these younger kids to meet the high school players and coaches instead of just seeing them from a distance on a Friday night is crucial to that.
According to Daugharthy, low numbers have been a result of Iolas recent baseball success. But Daugharthy does not want sluggers on the diamond to be discouraged from what football has to offer. In fact, playing more than one sport is a positive for youngsters.
The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) has discovered negatives of sports specialization for young athletes. Sports specialization leads to higher rates of young athletes quitting the sport they chose to specialize in, and a higher injury probability.
Negatives from sports specialization are exactly why Daugharthy encourages young athletes to participate in football, and translate the skills learned into other sports.
Playing football is going to make you more of an athlete, Daugharthy said. For example, if you play baseball, you are going to run the bases faster because we do speed work for football.
On Monday, campers primarily worked on offense. The camp was designed with three stations, teaching the concept of leverage at the line of scrimmage, proper technique of carrying the football, and receiving passes. Wednesday will again highlight offense, with tonight and Thursday designated toward defense
Throughout the practice, the high-school players engage with the campers to provide a fun environment and learning experience. Junior Drake Sellman is one of those athletes paving the way for future Mustangs.
These kids are going to be here after us, and carrying this program to the next level, Sellman said. This camp gets the word out about the program. If they have fun, they will go tell their friends to camp come next time. Hopefully, the numbers will grow.
The camp provides youngsters with not only the opportunity to learn key components of football, but add the most important ingredient of the game, learning to compete. Monday concluded with a 40-yard dash timed exercise, which is a base-line test used by college and NFL scouts. The competition allowed kids to kick it into fourth gear, and see who was the speediest.
Throughout Monday evening happy and cheerful faces filled the field, and hopefully for Iola football, this is the start to a growth in the game.
