THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 7, 1994 TAG: 9408060097
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 25 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOHN GORDON, SUN SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
The football camps at Franklin High were so successful that the kids were begging for more.
``The young kids asked if we could have it longer each day and have it a week long instead of only three days,'' said Joe Jones, head football coach.
Younger players were there from 9 to 10:30 a.m., and a lineman's camp ran from 10:30 until noon. And more linemen came than expected.
``We were expecting about 12 to 15, and 34 signed up,'' Jones said.
A third session was a passing camp last Monday and Tuesday evenings. This was a program that Jones had last year when he was head coach at Windsor, and he brought the idea with him.
``We had six schools participate last year in Windsor, and five of those schools came to the one here,'' Jones said. ``And we added three more.''
Other schools, besides Franklin and Windsor, that attended were Lakeland, Nansemond River, Bruton, Warwick, Kecoughtan and Petersburg. It was a very successful venture, according to Jones.
``We are definitely going to go for it again next year,'' Jones said. ``In fact, we may have a passing league like they have in Virginia Beach.''
The teams at Franklin played four games a night, but Jones thinks that they may have only three contests each night next year.
``Four games were a little too much,'' Jones said. ``But overall, we were very pleased with the camps.
``They make for a good relationship with the other coaches, too.''
Jones emphasized that a school didn't have to be a passing team to participate. His prime example was Kecoughtan.
``They wanted us to put in the Kecoughtan rule because they run the option and the coach said all their passes were pitches,'' Jones said with a laugh. ``We told them they would have to throw forward passes.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
Ryan Parish runs from a potential defensive ``tackle'' Wednesday
morning during a touch football game at the Franklin camp.
At left, David Bickley cuts around the tackling dummy during drills
for older campers, while other players wait their turn. At right,
Joe Jones, head football coach at Franklin High School, reviews some
of the basics with the younger group.
by CNB