Football camp draws huge crowd in 2012

Members of the Gulfport Admirals go through blocking drills at the annual MGCCC Football Camp June 17-19.

PERKINSTON---Although it’s the middle of June, football is the name of the game as far as the eye can see this week at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Perkinston Campus.

At least 475 high school football players from around the State & Region are attending the annual Gulf Coast Football Camp, which has expanded this year to include skill players on both sides of the ball. In the past, the widely popular camp featured instruction for offensive and defensive linemen.

“It’s probably the biggest camp in the State,” said Gulf Coast head coach Steve Campbell, who’s entering his ninth season with the Bulldogs. “We’ve got the offensive and defensive linemen on the soccer field, the offensive skill players on the main football field, and the defensive skill players on another practice field.”

For three days, the campers will literally eat, sleep, and drink football as they work through the summer heat and strive to get better before this fall. Many Coast high school teams have sent multiple players to the camp including Gulfport, West Harrison, Ocean Springs, Vancleave, and East Central just to name a few.

“We also have some of the schools competing in seven-on-seven practice games during the day and in a tournament each night to add to the competitive atmosphere,” Campbell added.