The sound of whistles, shouts, and shoulder pads clapping carried over the drone of a nearby lawnmower Monday morning to mark the start of the Camdenton Lakers' football training camp.
The defending district champions come off of a 7-3 regular season and a 42-0 playoff loss to Nixa that left many Lakers with a bad taste in their mouths. They will have to wait to take out their frustrations, as the July camp consists of non-contact work.
"It's all real slow. What you do in this is camp is you coach everybody. You try to get everybody their alignment, their assignment, their technique," Lakers head coach Bob Shore said.
This fall, Shore will coach Camdenton for a 36th season. The stadium will be officially renamed in his honor in August at the preseason jamboree scrimmage. His preseason approach is tried and true. In July and early August, players learn the playbook.
"Then when everybody learns what they are doing, then you go into your two-a-days, your actual practice and the kid can play as hard as he plays and not have to say, 'Well, I didn't know what to do,'" Shore explained.
Read more in Tuesday's Lake Sun.
