PORTER TOWNSHIP | Who can run? Who can throw? Who can catch? Who can hit?
During their recent team camp, Boone Grove football coaches started getting some answers to these questions as the roster for the school's inaugural season begins to take shape.
"Things are a lot clearer," head coach Doug Knutson said after the completion of the five-day camp at the middle school. "There's still a lot of work to do, a lot of learning, but I think we got a little bit of a feel. We'll discuss each kid and where we think they fit in best. Come August 3, we want them working here, working there."
The camp averaged 35 players a day, with a high of 41. Considering the seniors will see no varsity action, Knutson was happy to have 10 come out.
"We had four seniors on our first team and I remember those guys to a man," former Wheeler coach Chip Pettit said. "The chance to get to play high school football is special."
Looking for more juniors
Knutson hopes to see a junior class with just seven boys boost its numbers. Because it's the first year, Knutson will allow for some flexibility with move-ins and late arrivals.
"I'm fairly happy with the attendance," he said. "There were some injuries from stuff over the summer, some extenuating circumstances. We'll be making some phone calls, asking kids why they weren't at camp, why they didn't commit."
Of the 44 players listed, 16 were freshmen. Among them was John Fannin, who played in middle school at Lake Ridge before moving back to Boone Grove.
"I've always wanted to play football," Fannin said. "I heard they were starting up a team, and I figured I might as well join."
The sophomore class will be the first to play a full varsity schedule in 2011, something that appealed to Andrew Stockwell.
"I just love football," Stockwell said. "Also going out for the first team is pretty cool. We'll go down in history."
The coaches spent each evening watching players do drills that identified physical and football-specific skills. Until then, their only assessments came from those who have been attending weight training sessions. Over the course of the week, they also implemented some basic sets to familiarize players with terminology and the numbering system.
"They're picking up on everything we're trying to teach," Knutson said. "Overall, I'd say our size is average, I don't think we're slow. We've got a few guys who can run pretty well. We've got a couple guys who can long snap, punt, kick. We identified the things we really need to be working on. (Quarterback)'s still a real big question mark. We did a little hitting the last couple days, and they showed a willingness to hit. The pads were popping pretty good."
Pettit, now the coach at Crown Point, went through the same process a decade ago at Wheeler. He expects Boone to progress more quickly at the skill positions, while the evolution of linemen will take more time.
"There will be some kids on Boone Grove not only in the JV season(s), but the first varsity season who could play for anybody in the area, and they will most likely be skill players," Pettit said. "The linemen, the bigger kids, take three, four, five years of development as they come up through the middle school."
The intensity is there
Middle school, Pettit believes, is a key place for Boone to set its sights.
"Football's not a sport like basketball or baseball where it takes a tremendous amount of skill development at a young age," he said. "You have to look at the seventh grade, identify the really good athletes and really try to target them. It's not a whole lot different than coaching at a school that's had football for 100 years. Good athletes are good athletes. That translates from sport to sport. As football coach, you try to make the sport, make the experience, as attractive as you can to the kids."
That approach has been a point of emphasis at Boone in its early stages.
"I'm trying to be real positive, as are all the coaches, and I think that attitude showed," Knutson said. "The intensity we want was definitely there. There was good teamwork. Kids were helping each other, cheering each other on. We hope they'll be carrying that forward."
Knutson didn't have the benefit of the summer team camp when he coached at North Newton, so despite all the unknowns, he likes where the team is situated on the learning curve so far.
"Just as far as getting here on time, taking care of equipment, getting locks handed out, I feel really good," he said. "Other than not having any kids back who already know everything, I feel like I'm further ahead than I've ever been."
BOONE GROVE MOVES THE CHAINS TOWARD FOOTBALL PROGRAM | THIRD IN A FIVE-PART SERIES
Editor's note: Periodically throughout the summer, The Times will take an investigative look at Boone Grove's fledgling football program.
Boone Grove football players by grade*
Seniors: 10
Juniors: 7
Sophomores: 11
Freshmen: 16
* -- roster as of July 13-17 team camp
