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    Marines put New England high school football players through their paces during the Semper Fidelis All-American Camp

    Marines put New England high school football players through their paces during the Semper Fidelis All-American Camp

    Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Wright | Marines with Recruiting Station Portsmouth, New Hampshire, pose with high school...... read more read more

    DANVERS, MA, UNITED STATES

    06.07.2015

    Story by Sgt. Jonathan Wright 

    1st Marine Corps District

    To the right of him, a man who coached for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, and other The NFL teams. To the left of him, a man who saw combat when he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The high school football player, flanked by these two individuals, dug his cleats deeper and told himself he would push just a little harder once the starting whistle blew. These men knew a little something about strength and dedication with their résumés, so better work harder for them.

    Nearly 200 high school football players from across New England, including New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, participated in the Semper Fidelis All-American Camp at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts, June 7.

    The SFAAC is a football training and selection event that takes place in 24 major cities throughout the country hosted by the Marine Corps with training expertise from NFL and college football coaches. A few outstanding players from each camp are selected to play in the annual Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl game in Carson, California.

    For the Danvers camp, five NFL and college football coaches ran the drills and stations while Marines from Recruiting Station Portsmouth, New Hampshire, provided extra motivation and assistance. The Marines additionally gave leadership talks to the players regarding the qualities of a strong team, being reliable individuals and instilling core values that are applicable in life.

    “The next step for us is college football, and with Marines here to teach us more than the usual football skills, we’ll be more prepared for when we reach that goal,” said Akeem Smith, a middle linebacker and running back for the Milton High School football team in Milton, Mass. “Also, it’s just cool to say you were trained by Marines for a day.”

    After checking in and recording their heights and weights, the players were welcomed by the Marines with some pull-ups and ammo can lifts. Once finished, the Marines took the lead of the warmups, putting the players through the motions prior to the coaches taking them for drills.

    Among the NFL coaches running the drills was Ty Knott, who was the assistant offensive coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and the San Francisco 49ers, among other billets and teams.

    “The Marines are teaching and leading by example, embodying those intangible traits we aim to instill in these athletes alongside the physical training they get every time they practice,” said Knott. “The biggest take-aways for the guys today are the things they can apply on and off the field, being better team-mates to each other and in their communities.”

    Emphasis on those intangible qualities necessary for personal and professional success was prevalent throughout the day as signs with the Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits lined the edges of the football field. Marines also took periods during water breaks to talk about applying those traits.

    “Although we’re recruiters, this is not a recruiting-focused event,” said Sgt. Joseph Baldasaro, a canvassing recruiter with Recruiting Substation Lawrence, Mass. “The values we Marines live and work by can be adopted by anyone. So we are here not only to motivate, but also to educate and be proof sources for these young men. Even if they don’t know much about military service, speaking from experience to the lessons that are enforced here drives that point home that they aren’t just token words on signs, but applicable concepts.”

    At the end of the day, two players were selected for the SFAAB next year, Daniel Dalton of Marshfield High school, Marshfield, Mass., and Sean Ragan of St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Mass. The Marines also chose Douglas Santos of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in Peabody, Mass., as the recipient of the Marine leadership award, given to the player who exhibited the most leadership and drive to better the players around him.

    “It’s definitely an honor to be chosen by the Marines,” said Santos. “They’re the guys who go out and ensure everyone else still has that freedom to live their lives in peace, and being recognized by them is more drive to keep improving myself and my team, which should be the goal of every player here.”

    Next year there will be two players from Massachusetts representing the East Coast in the Bowl game, but until then every attendee of the camp will work harder in bettering themselves as they have been instructed both by NFL coaches and U.S. Marines.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 06.07.2015
    Date Posted: 06.11.2015 17:10
    Story ID: 166322
    Location: DANVERS, MA, US
    Hometown: EAST BRIDGEWATER, MA, US
    Hometown: MILTON, MA, US
    Hometown: SHREWSBURY, MA, US

    Web Views: 89
    Downloads: 0

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