LaGrange football hosts NFL combine style summer camp for local youth
Published 9:45 am Saturday, July 23, 2022
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The LaGrange High School football team hosted their annual youth summer camp on Thursday. The Grangers put on a National Football League combine style camp as the kids got treated to do a day of fun.
“I wanted to give the kids something fun to do,” said LaGrange High Head Coach Matt Napier said. “I knew they would have fun trying on the uniform and running the 40 (yard dash).”
After serving on the coaching staff at Callaway for 14 years, Napier took the head coaching job at LaGrange High in 2020. This camp is one of the many things that Napier brought with him from Callaway. Unfortunately, COVID-19 destroyed any chance of hosting the camp in 2020, but Napier was able to start the camp up in 2021.
“This is our second year hosting it, and we got about a hundred kids out here,” Napier said.
Napier has seen the camp grow since he started it back in 2021 and plans to keep the summer camp as an annual Granger tradition from here on out.
The kids rotated their way through a few different stations. One had the students doing the long jump, while another saw them try on the LaGrange High uniforms and take an official photo. Every station had something to give the kids an experience that made them feel like professional players or better yet Grangers.
Napier’s assistant coaches came out to help proceedings, but it was his senior players that had the biggest impression. They could be seen cheering on every kid as they raced across the Steve Pardue Indoor Practice Facility for the 40-yard dash.
“The kids really have fun hanging out with the high school seniors,” Napier said. “They get so excited meeting the guys they get to watch on Friday nights.”
The kids were beaming with excitement regardless of what station they were at. The kids were from the LaGrange High feeder system so most of these kids will end up at LaGrange one day. Napier wants these kids to feel included regardless if they will end up on the football team. Friday nights consist of far more than just the football players as the LaGrange band, cheerleaders, color guard, and the ever faithful student section help create those special Friday night feelings for LaGrange.
