Griffin High's Sims Bostic, left with gold jersey, watches a couple of Kennedy Road players go through a sled drill Thursday. (Jeff Armstrong/Daily News)
Spalding High's Larry McCord, left, shows Zamir Clemons, 14, how to get in the proper defensive stance. Clemons' teammate Naricuss Driver stands behind them. (Jeff Armstrong/Daily News)
Griffin players Sims Bostic, Joseph Ogbo and Travis Mayes and Spalding players Rodney Jackson, Phillip Goodrum, Jevaris Jones, Larry McCord, Jaylin Willis and Tim Jordan all have one thing in common: They all attended Kennedy Road and were proud Cougars when they were in the sixth through eighth grades. Griffin head coach Steve DeVoursney and Spalding assistant coach Bernard Goodrum brought the players to KRMS for the practice session.
“I’m glad the former Kennedy Road players came back to help us today. It’s nice to see them here,” said KRMS defensive coach Demarcus “Dee” Sims. “Our guys look up to them and want to play on Friday nights one day just like the high school players. It means a lot to our players that the high school guys took time out to coach them up.”
All the high school players led the Cougars in defensive drills all evening long. They showed them how to tackle, how to deflect passes during linebacker drills and how to backpedal like defensive backs.
And maybe as a reflection of what their coaches have done to them, the high schoolers got a bit testy and threatened several with push-ups if they didn’t perform the drills the right way. The threat of push-ups was all the Kennedy Road kids needed to get them going — they performed the drills well and didn't do any push-ups.
“It feels good to come back to my old middle school and teach the young guys all that we know,” said Spalding rising junior Rodney Jackson after he and Goodrum ran the players up the practice-field hill. “I remember running up this hill myself not too long ago. These guys are doing real well — they have more work to do, but they listen and they work hard during drills.”
The Kennedy Road football players will keep practicing this month, mostly early in the morning to avoid the heat. They will then gear up for the 3rd annual Kennedy Road Middle School Football Camp, which is scheduled for July 30-Aug. 1 at the school’s practice field, according to KRMS head coach Sylvester Elkins.
“The camp will be for rising fifth-graders through rising eighth-graders and will cost $20 per camper,” he said.
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