The grunts and groans of the gridiron could be heard last week with the Tiger Pride Youth Football Camp underway. The camp was held to introduce young players to the basics, as well as show the future of the game in DeKalb County. 
DeKalb County Tigers’ Head Football Coach Steve Trapp told the Smithville Review that this is the first year for the youth football camp.  "John Kilgore is the one that got everything organized, then the high-school and middle-school staff and players helped put together the drills and the camp. It’s a three-day camp and we’ve had over 100 kids every day.  We’re working on fundamentals and conditioning, and getting them ready for the effort and attitude it takes to play good football."
Coach Trapp said he could definitely see the future of the high-school team in many of the young participants.  "It’s a great thing to be able to get with these guys at this young of an age.  It really takes me back to my roots because I started coaching in the Junior Pro ranks when I was 19 with the 10-year-olds."
Another part of the camp is the participation of some of the DeKalb Tigers football team. Coach Trapp said that they not only serve as instructors at the camp, but also as role models.  "These guys are in awe of our [DCHS Tigers] players. We’ve got a lot of our players out here running the drills, with the coaches walking around making sure everything is done right.  They’ve helped us out a lot. 
"The parents have brought their kids out, and we’ve had over 100 kids from five-years olds to 12-years olds. It’s just a good thing to see, to know that DeKalb County football is in an upswing like it is, and know the future is bright.
"Tiger Pride is our motto and we define that in a lot of different ways in the high school level, but it has spilled out into the community and into the other programs. It’s just good to get them at a young age and to instill some of that [Tiger Pride] in them now."
The president of the Junior Pro Football League, John Kilgore, echoed Coach Trapp’s sentiments.  He said the camp will only help players as they reach the school level. "The reason we did this camp this year is to try to get everyone on the same page from the middle school, all the way up to the high school. When they get to middle school we want them to have an understanding where they don’t have to start from ground zero, working on stance and hand-offs.  They’ll be ready to go when they get there. When they get on up to Steve [Trapp], they’ll be even more advanced and he can work on more advanced skills with them."
Kilgore said that while the basics of the game are important, there are other aspects that are being taught at camp. "We’re teaching the fundamentals as well as sportsmanship. That’s one of the main goals I strive at. Football is an aggressive sport and we teach kids when they’re little not to hit others, then we come out here and tell them to tackle each other. It’s kind of a challenge."
"Another goal that we’re after in the camp this week is to get kids involved," he continued. "This gives a chance to come out and play football and see if they’ll even be interested in playing.  We’ve had a huge turnout and I contribute that to the success of the football program [Tigers and Saints] in the last four or five years. It’s made kids get interested and they’ve realized it’s the going sport and people like it.
"We’re going to try to do a camp every year. It really works and Steve has done a good job.  I want to congratulate these high school players who have been out here, showing what they’ve learned.  They’re passing it on to these kids that really look up to them. We’ve even got Lucas Phillips, who’s going to play college ball. He’s taken the time to come out here to work with these boys and pass it on down. He does it because he loves the sport."
Kilgore said that sign-ups for Junior Pro Football are taking place now, and anyone who wants to sign up can contact him at Kilgore’s Restaurant in Smithville.