Football camp goes deep for young quarterbacks, receivers

There was a lot to pass on at the Air It Out Passing Camp this week, and not all of it wrapped in pigskin.

Now in its 34^th year, the football camp is run by former Hardin-Simmons University offensive coordinator Alan Wartes. At its heart, the program instructs junior and senior high quarterbacks and receivers on the skills for their positions.

But Wartes said there is more to learning the sport than how to throw a tight spiral.

“I think the fundamentals of the game are important. But really, when these guys are finished playing, their faith and their character and their leadership is going to carry them a lot further in life than throwing the football,” he said. “So if we don't address those things, then we might as well not be doing football.

“We're using football to help our lives be better. We're not letting football use us.”

The camp was Wednesday and Thursday at Wylie High School’s Sandifer Stadium. About 150 athletes from around the state, as well as Oklahoma and elsewhere, learned under the tutelage of Wartes and his team of coaches and former college players.

They include former Texas Tech quarterback Cody Hodges and former HSU All-American and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kirk Rogers, who now coaches at Austin Westlake High School.

This was their seventh and last camp for this year. Four were held in Abilene earlier in the summer, along with sessions in Amarillo and Lubbock. In the past, Wartes has taken his camp to Houston, Austin and Dallas.

Wednesday’s hot weather didn’t really get going on the field until midway through the afternoon practice session. Spotty cloud cover made for a pleasant time until it began to clear.

“One of the kids asked me a while ago how much I paid to get the clouds to come? I said, I don't know how much I paid, but I'd pay to keep them here,” Wartes quipped, laughing.

Beyond running a pattern or making the Hail Mary pass count, Wartes hopes that if his students forget everything else they’ve learned, that one thing will stay with them.

“I'd like for them to take away a belief and faith in the Lord. You know, really everything else would follow that,” he said. “I just think that's important in their life. When tough times come, there's gonna be one thing that's gonna help you and that's going to be your faith.”

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Football camp goes deep for young quarterbacks, receivers