Although the number of players taking part wasn't quite as high as they would like, the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs got a look at their returning players last week at their spring camp.
The four-day camp that wrapped up Thursday saw 33 players sign up, although actual attendance topped out at 24 due to other commitments.
"There were some issues with work and 4-H and baseball and things like that, which is understandable. We were hoping for a little bit of a better turnout, but overall we were pretty happy with the kids that did come out. We had a mix of returning vets, kids coming up from the (bantam) Steelers and some kids who had never played before," said Elecs head coach Mark Schott.
"Ultimately we'd love for our numbers to be in the mid-40s, but that's ideal and maybe down the road we can get there. If we can get around 35, that's a good start. We always have anywhere from three to seven kids join partway through the season," Schott added.
With some players present who had never played football at any level, Schott said the focus was on keeping the drills simple.
"Initially, we wanted to break into positional groups, but our numbers were slightly lower to start the week, so we just did some basic skill work, general offensive and defensive skills, did some form tackling, receiving, kicking, handoffs.
"We progressed into some more introductory skills toward the end of the week. We got some contact drills in and had a half-line scrimmage. We didn't get too advanced because we didn't want to overwhelm anybody, especially since we had a lot of new players. We kept it simple, kept it fun for the week and we just wanted to see what the athletic skills were."
Looking ahead to the fall, Schott said he expects to have "a really strong receiving corps" comprised of a couple of returnees and some newcomers from the Steelers.
"They had a really strong receiving corps down there."
Defensive backs should be another strength for the Elecs, and although the coaching staff hasn't identified all of their linebackers yet, Schott expects that group to be solid as well.
That said, the team needs some help on both the offensive and defensive line.
"In terms of weaknesses, we really need some big bodies out there," said Schott. "That's an area we need to address and recruit some more players."
The Elecs are still looking to add more players and coaches "as long as you're willing to commit," Schott said. Anyone interested in playing or joining the coaching staff is asked to contact Schott by e-mail at [email protected].
