Last week was a chance for the younger football players in the Whitehall school district to get into the spirit of competition while learning about the game from the Zephyr varsity coaching staff.

They gathered at the Whitehall practice field from Monday to Thursday to learn about the game from Whitehall head coach Brian Gilbert and his staff who run the program every summer. It's an opportunity for kids from ages 6 through 13 to learn about the intricacies of football as well as compete in a number of exercises and games that made it a fun learning experience for everyone.

Gilbert said that 62 kids showed up for their annual football Youth Camp which ran from July 27-30.

"It's the biggest turnout yet," said Gilbert. "So we're really happy with that."

He said the morning sessions were devoted to learning the game which included agility drills. Later they divided the players according to position and worked on specific drills for each area. That was followed by a team competition and capped off with an Ultimate Football game.

Gilbert said that Ultimate Football mirrors rugby, accentuating passing and running, but without the tackling. Gilbert divided the campers into two divisions according to age, with the 6-10 year-olds comprising the "College Division" and the 11-13 group making up the "Pro Division."

Additionally, each day they held a special event that preceded their Ultimate Football game. Gilbert said those events included a Mini Combine which featured a 20-yard dash, a 3-cone drill, a broad jump, and a shuttle run. It's similar to what the pros do yearly at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

They also played "Last Man Standing" during one of their sessions. Gilbert said the object of LMS is to avoid being tagged or pushed out of a designated area that's marked off by cones. Players are eliminated when either they have their shirts (which are loosely tucked into their pants) snatched by another player or simply pushed from the area.

Wednesday they conducted a Punt, Pass, Kick and Field Goal competition, and then culminated in Thursday's "Make Him Miss."

Gilbert said that MHM is a game that features one defender covering an area, also marked off by cones, that begins small, usually 10-20 yards, then progressively increases as the game continues. They each take turns, and if the defender successfully tags the runner, that person has to go to the back of the line. If the offensive player scores, the situation is reversed, until finally they're the only two players remaining. With the cones now wide apart, the winner finally emerges.

They concluded the camp with a football game among the two divisions. He said the "College" kids selected Penn State, Oregon and Michigan State, while the "Pros" opted for the Lions, Dolphins and Raiders. Gilbert said that Penn State and the Raiders emerged as the winning teams.

"It was a lot of fun and the kids put in a good effort," said Gilbert.

Among the campers were familiar names to anyone who has followed Whitehall football the past few years. Gilbert said those names included Tommy Buskirk, Randy Okungu, Luke Gilbert, and Ali Barkley, among others.

The campers benefited from the knowledge of the entire Whitehall staff, including Michael Yadush, Sean Clary, Eric Miller, David Cressman, Dennis Roman and Dan Caffery.