EDWARDSVILLE – Successful athletic programs aren't built from the top down; they're constructed from the grassroots level.
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Take Edwardsville's football program, for instance.
As part of the Orange and Black scrimmage for the Tigers Friday night, the foundation of the EHS program was on display for Tiger fans as the seventh- and eighth-grade football teams from Liberty and Lincoln middle schools each held scrimmages as did the various age groups that make up the Little Tigers football program.
Each program is designed to introduce the fundamentals of football to participants as well as to let players learn the game and have fun; the middle-school programs begin to lay the foundation players will experience as they move up into EHS' program as they use the same terminology and plays used by Matt Martin's program.
“Things went pretty good tonight,” said Lincoln seventh-grade coach Jordan Nunn. “It's still early and we were working for a couple of days on the things we did this evening.”
Nunn's goals for the seventh-grade Wildcats are simple. “What we want to do here is teach the basics of football and instill a sense of hard work and pride in what we do here,” Nunn said. “We want our players to show pride in what they do and work hard both in the classroom and on the field.
“We have a good group of kids on the team and they're great to work with. We want them to have fun but also be competitive; at this level, it's not so much about the wins and losses, but what they learn about football.”
“We're learning and we're getting better,” said Liberty eighth-grade coach Jamaal Heavens. “What we try to do in the program is teach them about football and the system that's used at the high school; we mimic the plays, terminology and other things they do in the high school program so the transition from our program to high school goes smoothly.”
While this year's Panthers are still in the learning process, there is some good talent on the team. “We've got a good quarterback in Ethan Young,” Heavens said, “and a couple of good tailbacks in Brady Jesse and Malik Revis. We may move some guys around, but overall, we're looking to improve from last season and mimic the success the high school has had.”
None of the success at the middle-school level would be possible without the foundations laid by the Little Tigers football program, a youth-level program for players aged 5 and up. Teams are divided by age, with players assigned to positions by weight and ability.
“What we do in the program is encourage our participants to have fun,” said LTF president Eddie Lowry. “We teach them what the game is about and teach them about the fundamentals and skills in football. Our goal is to teach them about football and prepare them for the day when they'll be out on the field just like the kids who are playing for the high school now.”
At younger ages, safety Is an overriding factor in how the teams are fun. “Our coaches are required to go through the Heads Up Football program (a football safety program that is a part of USA Football, the national governing body for American football as an international sport; it's supported by the NFL and NCAA) so they can teach how to play the game in a safe manner,” Lowry said. “None of our coaches in the program are allowed to take part until they have their certification in the program.
“We teach our players the fundamentals of the game and how to block and tackle in a safe manner.”
The players who took part in the scrimmages were on the same field the players they look up to at EHS play on Friday nights during the season, and getting the opportunity was a thrill for them. “The kids got to be on the same field as the big guys,” Lowry said, “and that was a big thrill for them. Hopefully they'll get the opportunity to do the same thing a few years down the road when they enter high school.”
