Mentoring on the gridiron

MOSES LAKE — A large collection of youth football players gathered on the Moses Lake High School practice fields this week for the Mav Youth Football Camp, bringing out children from kindergarten through eighth grade to learn from current Moses Lake football players. 

“It’s such a blast to get our community out here, to get our players out here,” MLHS football head coach Brett Jay said. “This past year there’s been some mud that we’ve been trudging through, and to get out here into a positive situation is fantastic for everybody. There’s good energy, it’s a free camp that our players coach the drills that they learn in practice.” 

Campers go through certain facets of a typical high school practice — performing warm-up exercises with Maverick players leading the way, then cycling through 20 stations where they learn the skills of different position groups in football. 

“(They) get the concepts, language, terminology and some normal reps that are going on out here,” said Brian Gwinn, administrator for the Moses Lake Grid Kids. 

The youth campers go through each station and learn from an MLHS football player in that position — defensive and offensive linemen lead the way on the blocking sled, quarterbacks instruct the campers with throwing nets and wide receivers teach how to run routes.  

“The high school players, they put on their jersey and come out and help us — it's really cool,” Gwinn said. 

“On Friday nights you come down to Lions Field and it’s packed, and you get all the kids that are watching the guys that have taught them,” Jay said. “In a one-horse town like this, you can develop — the second grader can’t wait to put on the helmet when he’s in high school, and that’s important for us.” 

The camp was previously held for free for players in the Moses Lake Grid Kids organization, with those outside of Grid Kids able to attend for an added fee, but this year was spread for all youth football players in the area, free to attend for all. 

This is the fourth year that the camp has been held after a previous hiatus. 

“We did the camp quite a few years ago, the high school coaches used to do it, and then we got away from it because everybody got really busy,” Gwinn said. “When coach Jay took over, we asked him to come do the camp again for Grid Kids, and he has gladly done it.” 

Columbia Basin Youth Football will have a team in Moses Lake this fall, named the Moses Lake Jr Mavericks. Teams in CBYF play against other teams in the area, and there are local teams in Coulee City, Ephrata, Mattawa, Moses Lake, Othello, Quincy, Royal City and Warden. Many CBYF players were in attendance at the camp. 

“The CBYF is like a (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) governing body of eastern Washington youth football,” Jay said. “There’s 37 teams and towns that play in this association. They provide the insurance, which knocks the price down.” 

    A player works on a route-running and catching drill at the Mav Youth Football Camp on Tuesday.
  

    With a current Moses Lake High School football player holding the tackling bag, a youth player dives in for a tackle on Tuesday at the Mav Youth Football Camp.
  

    A Moses Lake High School football player teaches the youth campers how to use the blocking sled during a drill on Tuesday.
  

    A Mavericks football player high-fives a camper at the Mav Youth Football Camp on Tuesday.