NewsAthleticsFootballSummer Programs
Not just passing time: Players get chance to work out, tune up at passing camp
Jun 25, 2009 12:00 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Written by Jeremy Stewart, Rome News-Tribune sports writer, published 6/25/09
When it comes to prep football, summer is not just weight training anymore. After the emerging popularity of passing camps and passing leagues made its way to Georgia about eight years ago, seeing teams out on the practice fields in June and July has become a weekly occurrence.
For a look at exactly how much the organized offensive drills have evolved, a stop at Darlington today and Friday should give anyone a good idea of its impact. Head coach Tommy Atha and his staff will welcome a large faction of both local and statewide powers to their campus for the sixth annual Darlington 7-on-7 Passing Camp. “It has really turned into a great camp,” said Atha, who also serves as the camp’s director. “This year, we have everything from single-A teams to a small school from Alabama all the way up to 5-A teams from Atlanta.”
Among the larger squads are Walton, Woodstock and South Gwinnett, highlighted by standout wide receiver and recent Vanderbilt commit Jonathan Krause. Local teams that will be participating are Calhoun, Pepperell, Chattooga, Coosa and host Darlington. “It works out most of the time that teams throw against teams that they won’t see during the regular season,” Atha said. “I think it’s worked out well because a lot of the Atlanta-area teams consistently come back.”
The two-day camp includes five sessions with each session made up of three 40-minute “games.” Each team is guaranteed 15 games with play beginning today at 2 p.m. and continuing Friday morning at 9. All sessions are open to the public. “I think what keeps people coming back is that they get a lot of reps in a short amount of time,” Atha said.
While many schools hold passing tournaments, where teams compete against each other while playing in the flag football-like games, Atha says that’s not their camp’s purpose. “We really try to make this a teaching time, not a competition,” Atha said. “We emphasize that everybody is here to make their teams better, not to win a passing tournament championship.”
Pepperell head coach Jeff Shiflett has seen his team participate in an organized passing league with a number of other local squads for two summers. “It’s just a good opportunity for us to, first off, get in our passing package and, second, have a chance to get outside and throw and catch and acclimate ourselves to the summer heat,” Shiflett said. “It serves a lot of purposes. We don’t consider ourselves one of those that want to compete in a passing league.”
Pepperell, like many of the teams in Greater Rome and the state, looked to the running game as their bread and butter for many years. But now, as Scout.com writer Rusty Mansell has seen, the spread offense is catching on and putting the ball in the air has become an integral part of any team’s offensive arsenal. “7-on-7 camps are where many teams go to develop their timing on the field and cohesiveness among their players,” Mansell said. “It is a physical event and Darlington’s camp has become one of the top 7-on-7 events in the state.”
When it comes to prep football, summer is not just weight training anymore. After the emerging popularity of passing camps and passing leagues made its way to Georgia about eight years ago, seeing teams out on the practice fields in June and July has become a weekly occurrence.
For a look at exactly how much the organized offensive drills have evolved, a stop at Darlington today and Friday should give anyone a good idea of its impact. Head coach Tommy Atha and his staff will welcome a large faction of both local and statewide powers to their campus for the sixth annual Darlington 7-on-7 Passing Camp. “It has really turned into a great camp,” said Atha, who also serves as the camp’s director. “This year, we have everything from single-A teams to a small school from Alabama all the way up to 5-A teams from Atlanta.”
Among the larger squads are Walton, Woodstock and South Gwinnett, highlighted by standout wide receiver and recent Vanderbilt commit Jonathan Krause. Local teams that will be participating are Calhoun, Pepperell, Chattooga, Coosa and host Darlington. “It works out most of the time that teams throw against teams that they won’t see during the regular season,” Atha said. “I think it’s worked out well because a lot of the Atlanta-area teams consistently come back.”
The two-day camp includes five sessions with each session made up of three 40-minute “games.” Each team is guaranteed 15 games with play beginning today at 2 p.m. and continuing Friday morning at 9. All sessions are open to the public. “I think what keeps people coming back is that they get a lot of reps in a short amount of time,” Atha said.
While many schools hold passing tournaments, where teams compete against each other while playing in the flag football-like games, Atha says that’s not their camp’s purpose. “We really try to make this a teaching time, not a competition,” Atha said. “We emphasize that everybody is here to make their teams better, not to win a passing tournament championship.”
Pepperell head coach Jeff Shiflett has seen his team participate in an organized passing league with a number of other local squads for two summers. “It’s just a good opportunity for us to, first off, get in our passing package and, second, have a chance to get outside and throw and catch and acclimate ourselves to the summer heat,” Shiflett said. “It serves a lot of purposes. We don’t consider ourselves one of those that want to compete in a passing league.”
Pepperell, like many of the teams in Greater Rome and the state, looked to the running game as their bread and butter for many years. But now, as Scout.com writer Rusty Mansell has seen, the spread offense is catching on and putting the ball in the air has become an integral part of any team’s offensive arsenal. “7-on-7 camps are where many teams go to develop their timing on the field and cohesiveness among their players,” Mansell said. “It is a physical event and Darlington’s camp has become one of the top 7-on-7 events in the state.”
