Memorial free football camp to strengthen community bond with Titans

Published 12:22 am Tuesday, July 19, 2022

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Memorial coaches and players will play host to young football players during a free camp next week.

The Titans are hosting two two-day camps for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade.

The camp will run July 26-27. Kids entering grades K-6 will be at the practice field at Memorial High School from 5:30-7 p.m. Seventh and eighth graders will go from 7-8:30 p.m. There is no registration. Those who want to participate can simply show up.

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Memorial Head Coach Brian Morgan wanted to keep the camp free to ensure no children are left out.

“Price tags eliminate some kids,” Morgan said. “Here, it may be more than if you are at other places. You will eliminate somebody. This is not about making money for us. It is not about raising money. We just want to give back to kids that may play for us at some point.”

The head coach is familiar with how much the camp can pay off for the program in the long run. Eighth graders that attended the camp during Morgan’s first year are now seniors on his varsity team.

“I think it is important that we, as coaches, give back,” Morgan said. “More importantly, we try and stress to the kids and teach them to give back to the community and the kids that really look up to them like heroes.”

Camp goers will also get a chance to meet the players that they will root for on Friday nights this season. The interaction is beneficial to the young campers and the student athletes. Morgan hopes his players get to see how important they are in the community.

“I can remember being a kid and going to games and seeing guys play,” he said. “It was like seeing Superman out there. Some of them are in coaching these days and I see them and I am like ‘That is the guy I thought was Superman. That is just another guy walking around.’ Those kids look up to those guys, especially the skill guys that score. They know who you are. Hopefully, they look up to you.”

With Memorial as the only high school in the city, the camp also gives coaches a chance to see future Titans who will eventually make their way through the program.

“Our city is doing a great job from the youth leagues on up,” Morgan said. “Anytime there is a good youth program and a high school program, you have a great chance to be successful.”