Cardinal Football Camp sees 20th year
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FAIRMONT - Cleats are being tightened. Whistles have reached their maximum volume. And the football laces spin through the warm summer evening air. While the official fall football season hasn't begun just yet, hints of its existence have been spotted on the Fairmont High School campus.
Fairmont headman Mat Mahoney and his coaching staff began the first day of the Cardinal Football Camp on Tuesday, July 28, located on the school's practice facility right next door to the prestigious Mahoney Field.
However, this year's camp designated for individuals between fourth and twelfth grade is a little different. A little more special. It's the 20th season Mahoney has run the near week long practice. This milestone is something even he admits caught him off guard.
"It's hard to put into words, to be honest," Mahoney said. "It kind of snuck up on me too. But it's also huge that I have consistency within the program. It's huge that I've had Brad Johnson and Terry Ehlert for 20 years. And it's cool that a guy like Jesse Walters, he was a senior in my first year, and now, he's coaching. Not much has changed during these years."
It's come to the point in Mahoney's career where he is coaching generations of families. Something that he's proud of from his perspective.
"I had a kid this morning, and I coached his dad. I also coached his mom in basketball. To have those families now circling back, it's making me feel old," Mahoney said with a laugh. "But it's great. I love what I'm doing and we got a good thing going."
Day one of the camp, originally scheduled for Monday, was cancelled due to the extreme heat found in Fairmont. Tuesday and Wednesday will mimic what the camp will look like for both age ranges.
The morning session from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. is set for fourth through sixth graders. Mahoney emphasized that these practices are meant for enjoyment, showing the youth what playing for the Cardinals organization can look like.
"It's all about having fun and trying to introduce the game as much as possible so they get a feel for it," Mahoney said. "We want to get that taste in their mouth because their season is coming up pretty soon."
Seventh through twelfth graders configure on the practice field from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. later in the day. Mahoney and his staff use this time to not just remind the current upperclass players the bare-bone foundations of their ideology, but to introduce the younger age groups to the next step in football. The varsity level. This portion is crucial for current and future success for the Cardinals.
"I think it's a two-way street," Mahoney said. "The seniors, your legacy and impact that you might have on a seventh grader who will remember you for the next five or six years, because this was how he did it at Cardinal Camp. This is one of the first impressions they have of being all together and seeing those upperclassmen do stuff. Doing drills and being coached by the varsity, they've never had that before."
The seventh through twelfth graders will have an additional practice on Thursday morning from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. The first official practice of the high school fall season will take place on Monday, August 17.