Baton Rouge Feb 2019 Edition
n o r i d i r G a n a Louisi Football Presents
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The Football Huddle By: Tyran Bates
learn how to keep our heads up and work even harder to achieve our goals. Do you play any other sports? I run track. What made you decide to play running back? It’s a position that I have always been playing since I was seven years old, so I have been sticking with it ever since.
Ty Davis
is a 6’1 225lbs Senior First Team All-State running back from Southern Lab High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Davis signed his letter of intent with LSU on December 19, 2018 where he will be attending in the fall of 2019. Davis runs a 4.49 in the 40-yard dash, can bench 330, squat 500, and has a 35’’ vertical. How long have you been playing football and what do you love about football? I have been playing football since I was seven years old. I just love the physicality of the game and it’s a team sport, I love being a team player and being able to help my team. What are somethings that football has taught you? Football has taught me about overcoming adversity because you don’t always win your games like when we lost in the semi-finals. My teammates and I had to
Do you have any football players that inspire you or you can compare your style of play to? I like watching Todd Gurley a lot; to me he is the most complete back in football right now. What is your greatest strength on the football field? My football IQ, when I am on the football field there are certain situations that I just naturally know whats going to happen especially after watching film. What have you been focusing on trying to get better at? I have been focusing on trying to get better at everything.
CJ Golden
is a 5’6 170lbs 4 star junior running back from The Church Academy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Golden runs a 4.5 in the 40 yard dash. CJ has good use of his hands and footwork.
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When did you start playing football and when did you begin to like playing football? I started playing football for the South Baton Rouge Rams and really I have loved football since I was a little kid. What is your greatest strength on the football field? My power is my greatest strength because I am more like a freight train and I am very hard to bring down. What are some life lessons you have learned from playing football? I learned that through God anything is possibly What kind of football player are you? I am a very versatile football player. My vision when I am running the ball is on the next level of playing. Do you have any other hobbies outside of football? My biggest hobbies outside of football are working out I mean I love working out on the regular and ATV riding. What made you decide to play running back? I love running the ball in general I love the contact. Because I my height I have to work just as hard as anyone else on the football field. My height makes me harder to tackle because the defenders have to get lower than me, which is hard for them to do, and I can squeeze through the holes breaking big runs as well. I mean nowadays people tend to favor the shorter run
ning backs because of this. With my skills I am just as talented as a running back that is taller than me. Who is your biggest motivator? My biggest motivator football wise is Saquon Barkley I love his style of play because it is similar to mine we are very much alike with the way we run the football. What is the best game you ever played in? The two best games I have ever played in so far have been against Episcopal High School and Capitol High School.
Diamond In The Rough
What are your goals for your senior year? My goal for my senior year is to show a lot of schools that I have what it takes to play for them, I am very underrated right now and I want to get more offers from schools that need football players like me with my skill set.
O U R G O A L AT L G F I S T O H E L P T H E U N D E R R AT E D BECOME RECRUITED
What is a part of your game that you are trying to improve? My speed is an area of my game that I am trying to work on. I am trying to get faster because of my height and size it is going to play a role for me to go to the next level and it may give me an extra advantage.
We highlight the best junior and senior athletes Louisiana has to offer. D.I.T.R. articles showcase the talent and ability of these players.
Denham Springs Youth Football and Cheer To Advertise, call Richard (225) 931-8711
All Football, All Louisiana www.LouisianaGridironFootball.com
To Advertise, call Richard (225) 931-8711
All Football, All Louisiana www.LouisianaGridironFootball.com
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(225) 931-8711
To Advertise, call Richard (225) 931-8711
All Football, All Louisiana www.LouisianaGridironFootball.com
Subscribe Today The Only Monthly Football Magazine In Louisiana. For One Low Price Of $49.95 You get 13 Issues Including Our Recruiting Special Edition.
LouisianaGridironFootball@gmail.com 132 Hummell St Suite C Denham Springs, La 70726
I
recently had the opportunity to sit down with Mark Russell and Chris Gascon of the Denham Springs youth Football and Cheer and talk about my favorite thing, football. The Denham Springs youth Football and Cheer organization is a part of the South Louisiana Youth Football Association (or SLYFA). According to Mark this program was designed to be a feeder system for the middle schools and high schools and has been around for 25 years. They offer four different teams for various age groups in Denham Springs. D Team 5-6 year old C Team 7-8 year old B Team 9-10 year old A Team 11-12 year old As our conversation continued Mark and I discussed the program’s relationship with the local high school. Mark explained that the Denham Springs Youth Football and Cheer program works very well with the head coach at Denham Springs High. “He’s a really smart guy and he has a plan on how to work with us to build up the program in
this area,” Mark noted of Coach Bill Con ides , Denham Springs High School head coach. Denham Springs Youth Football and Cheer Coaches are invited to stand on the sidelines during DSHS football games and players are allowed to come to the high school games as well to gain the experience. Coach Conides is also running the Denham Springs Youth Football and Cheer Camp on April 13th. How does working with high school/middle school coaches help kids get ready for middle/high school football you may ask? Mark explained, “What I’d like to see is a program with offenses and defenses that would be run at the high school level. That’s the goal. Of course, it’s not super specific at this age level, but I would like it if when they get to high school, they are really just adding nuance or depth to what they already know.” By the time a player plays in high school he will have been in this league for seven possibly eight years. When he gets to high school, he will know holds, understand the format of both games and
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practice, and will have the appropriate vocabulary. A player that has played for this program will understand things like standing on the sidelines cheering on their teammates, and players who haven’t had this experience won’t know all the details of the game from the start. They can of course learn these details, but they start at a slight disadvantage to one of this program’s players. Mark went on to say, “If I tell a running back to run through the 3 hole, our kids are going to know what to do. If we tell them to get in a two technique, they are going to know what a 2 technique is. Those are the things that if they understand them by the time they get to middle school, the middle school coach is then able to work on adding complexity and detail to their game.” There is a big difference between adding detail and teaching plays and having to teach all the fundamentals before you can teach anything else. When Mark and Chris attend middle school games during the year, about half of the kids on the field were kids from this program. Chris Gascon added, “The terminology, that’s something we work on with coach Conides. We make sure that we use the same vocabulary that they do, so that when our players get to high school, they will know exactly what the coaching staff is talking about.” Players for the Denham Springs Youth Football and Cheer practice technique. Receivers learn basic routes. Players will know basic holds, and how to line up for various coverage schemes. It cannot be overstated the advantage players who learn their basics at an early age have over players who do not. High school dynasties, like West Monroe and John Curtis, all utilize feeder systems much like this one. Players who have played ball at a young age often can compete for varsity spots as freshman and have a higher chance of getting recruited. Often when I interview high level play ers, they tell me that they have played for a youth football league of some kind. The flooding in 2016 majorly affected the Denham Springs Youth Football and Cheer program. Prior to the flood due to roster limits of 40 players per team, they were so full they were going to have to make some cuts. However, after the flood, their biggest roster only had 25 kids on it. They were forced to replace a lot of equipment that was lost in the flood as well as replacing coaches and players. Mark said, “We went from being one of the groups that competed
in everything at a high level all the time, to being an organization that was out there but that were really just participating not dominating. Local businesses have been a huge help with sponsorships and donations. “The businesses of Denham Springs have helped us a great deal and really seem to see the value of investing in these kids,” said Mark. “We would love to see even more members of the community get involved. Coach Conides has been one of our largest supporters since becoming the head coach at Denham. We will be using the school field for practice this year.” Up to this year, the Denham Springs Youth Football and Cheer were practicing at South Park. Mark says about the league, “we can be something that the community can rally around. I think Chris and I would tell you that we love those kids. Parents can rally around their kids. There is a long-term effect, because we keep track of these kids, and will watch them while they are growing up and even when they are in high school or beyond. And it’s not just me and Chris, the parents and our coaches develop relationships with these kids and really take an interest in their lives beyond just how they play at our games. Look at guys like Glenn Dorsey, who went through the St Amant program. The relationship that develops over the seven or eight years a kid plays for a program gives the coaches some ownership to watch him beyond high school and still be saying ‘that’s our guy’. It really brings that whole town together around these kids.” To get involved, visit their website www.dsyf.net or look up Denham Springs Youth Football and Cheer on Facebook. If any youth want to play, they are invited to attend their free camp at Denham Springs High School on April 13th. If you would like to speak to Mark and learn more about how to sponsor the teams, you can call him at (504) 655-2364 or contact him on Facebook on the Denham Springs Youth Football and Cheer page.
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Can you see your ad here? If so, call Richard
(225) 931-8711
To Advertise, call Richard (225) 931-8711
All Football, All Louisiana www.LouisianaGridironFootball.com
Subscribe Today The Only Monthly Football Magazine In Louisiana. For One Low Price Of $49.95 You get 13 Issues Including Our Recruiting Special Edition.
Call Richard Hebert (225) 931-8711
LouisianaGridironFootball@gmail.com 132 Hummell St Suite C Denham Springs, La 70726