Hundreds of Colts, Bulldogs, Eagles and other young football players gathered at Holy Trinity Academy on the weekend.
The Foothills Eagles hosted their annual Bantam football jamboree on Saturday at Holy Trinity Academy, in a tournament featuring 11 teams from the Calgary Bantam Football Association.
The jamboree, held on Aug. 20, involved players aged 13 to 15 and brought together teams from Airdrie to Okotoks to take part in controlled scrimmages.
The exhibition tournament allowed coaches to experiment with an assortment of plays, from flea-flickers to end-arounds, which made for an exciting day of football for the hundreds of supporters on hand.
Bantam Eagles defensive coordinator Darryll Lowry said the tournament was important in preparing his players for game action.
“For me, we need to see football being played at full speed,” Lowry said. “We need the players to see the difference between practice and the games.”
Eagles head coach Peter Kiranas said the jamboree is also an opportunity for the players to execute the fundamentals on offence.
It also helped to calm the young players’ nerves.
“It gets us in the mindset to not be nervous and to leave everything on the field,” said Eagles offensive tackle Lane Coonfer.
Perhaps more than any other sport, the passion for football is passed down from generation to generation.
Eagles running back Matthew Hunter said he fell into the sport after his father played in high school, while Coonfer’s grandfather played football for the famed Texas A & M University Aggies.
Both Hunter and Coonfer have played seven years of football. Hunter said winning the game as a team is his favourite aspect of the sport.
Coonfer, who cuts an imposing figure on the offensive line, said he’s fond of the physical nature of football.
“I love to hit,” Coonfer said. “Even though I’m on offence I just love hitting. That way it’s all left on the field.”
Kiranas said there are a bevy of new faces on the Eagles and expects 2011 to be a building year for his Bantam squad. Foothills finished with a 6-2 record in the 2010 season.
More than just a game, the Eagles coaches said the lessons learned from the sport extend into the personal development of its players.
“Football comes and goes,” Kiranas said. “What’s important is the strong influence on character formation and on coming together as a team.”
The Eagles are back in action Aug. 27, as they take on the Stampeders at Shouldice Park in Calgary.
Check the official CFBA website, http://www.cbfa.ab.ca, for up-to-date schedules and results.
