CHS Youth Football Summer Camp a first look at next generation of Storm players

The Cleveland High School football team hosted its annual youth summer football camp June 11-12 inside Thunderbolt Stadium.

“The future of Cleveland is bright; we got people that are excited to be a part of the program. We lose good kids every year, but, you know, we always seem to manage to find some kids that are ready to step up and play some Cleveland football,” head coach Robert Garza said. “I remember Jordan Hatch came to our camp every year. It’s fun to see these guys go through the camp and then come back to be a part of the team.”

Students entering first through eighth grade were able to participate and learn from a program that has won five blue trophies since 2011.

“There’s a lot of talent out here. Got to work them, and we got to mold them into the players they could be,” Cleveland player Moses Sparks said.

Sparks is a towering offensive tackle for the Storm who is listed as 6 feet, 5 inches tall. Sparks led warmups and was very vocal with his drill station as well as offering pointers and adjustments for the young attendees.

“I learned a lot of teamwork, a lot of effort, and a lot of major skills that will help me develop my game. I’m happy to learn from the best,” attendee Jackson Rice said.

After warmups, attendees broke off into age groups, and Cleveland football players split to run stations and drills. Well, most football players, except Cleveland player Psalmon Kegler.

“I’ll admit it: I did not really stay in my station. I kind of just ran around and messed around with the kids a lot, just trying to build those relationships with the kids and their families,” Kegler said. “It’s fun to be around these kids, especially because I was one of these people in this situation.”

Kegler is a versatile defensive lineman for the Storm who plays inside and as an end/edge. Last season, Kegler racked up 11.5 sacks and earned first-team All-State honors (Kegler was also first-team All-State in 2022).

“Our future, with these kids, in some areas were cooked … I'm just kidding! We’ll be fine; these kids are good,” Kegler jokingly said as many attendees around him were laughing. Kegler clearly had great rapport with a ton of the young stars.

One of the stations that really put the talent on display were the one-on-ones. In this drill, one player played receiver, and the other player covered. During this drill, many attendees displayed very impressive ball skills. On many occasions, the smooth routes, separation and catches left many Cleveland players jumping in excitement, and as a result, the young players had huge smiles on their faces.