Football players ready for action
SARANAC LAKE — The sight of youngsters and high school age student-athletes running around together on the practice field and responding to coaches’ whistles Tuesday evening can only mean one thing: Football season in the North Country is just around the corner.
Coaches and players in Saranac Lake’s high school football program got together with young football enthusiasts for the annual evening camp that was co-organized by the 5th Quarter Club. It was led by both high school and PAL coaches and had approximately 60 participants, including about 20 varsity and junior varsity players.
“It’s a great opportunity to have kids experience a little organized football,” said head varsity coach Eric Bennett. “It’s for all ages and not limited to boys. It’s a great way for participants, including parents, to see how we do our business, and for us, it’s a great chance to meet the parents.”
The camp lasted more than an hour and had the goal of teaching basic fundamentals while creating a fun experience for those who took part. The evening featured drills and friendly competitions.
The local PAL teams began practice about a week ago and the high school teams begin their preseason training on Monday.
“With all the challenges facing the game of football today, the main thing that we want parents seeing is that we want their children to have a good time playing a fun sport that we want to make as safe as possible,” Bennett said.