South Dakota Junior Football Camp In Full Swing

SIOUX FALLS, SD -

The Sanford Fieldhouse is playing host to more than 250 South Dakota Junior Football players over the next few days. Kids from second grade on up to eighth are padding up for the first full contact version of the camp led by Kurtiss Riggs and the Sanford Power Football Academy.

Some of the future gridiron greats you see here put on a helmet and pads for the first time today, but that's not stopping several from setting the bar high from the get-go.

"I want to be like a running back for the Denver Broncos," Lucas Slack said.

Third-grader Lucas Slack from Harrisburg is just one of many learning how to properly play the game. While this four-day camp features all kinds of drills, the focus is on giving kids a heads up when it comes to contact.

"I wasn't able to start tackle football of any sort until my eighth grade year. I think kids now have such an advantage to be able to do specialized programs, camps, things like this at such a young age," Riggs said.

Riggs and company are involved with the Heads Up tackling nationwide movement from USA Football. The technique they're teaching is meant to improve player safety. And the earlier a player gets experience with it; the better says Carolina Panther and former junior football star Dale Moss.

"Those are some of my best years. I had some of the most fun playing then. We're really trying to teach them the right things, teach them good fundamentals so going forward they're ready when it comes to middle school. Starting at this young age and doing it the right way is going to advance our state in general," Moss said.

This week's camp features the first large group training in Heads Up Football in South Dakota.

"I mean we hope that we can at least build a framework where they're excited about football. They're having fun and each year they go in knowing what they should be doing," Riggs said.

The South Dakota Junior Football Camp wraps up this Saturday.

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Source: http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/south-dakota-junior-football-camp-in-full-swing/?id=150507

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