Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008

Tri-Cities Prep players pull together at two-day 'Camp Whitsett'

HERALD STAFF

Tri-Cities Prep football coach Dan Whitsett was beat Saturday night.

He'd just got home from his two-day "Camp Whitsett," which is named after him by the players and is held at the private school in Pasco.

At 7 a.m. Friday, 24 Jaguars walked into the school.

"We had two practices each day, and in between practices we have playbook study and team-bonding exercises," Whitsett said.

Friday night, they watched a movie, Facing The Giants, then slept on carpet squares inside the school. The team was up at 6 a.m. Saturday, had breakfast at 7, and was back out on the field at 8:30.

The team captains' mothers organized the players' meals with all of the other players' mothers.

"We eat well," Whitsett said.

After the last practice Saturday, there was a potluck with the players and their parents.

Already, Whitsett has gotten some questions answered.

"The biggest question mark was we lost the best leader I ever had, Nick Roach, to graduation," Whitsett said. "I think he could run for president some day. That's how much I think of him. He was our sole senior captain last year.

"So my biggest worry was leadership," he continued. "So far our three seniors -- Andrew Lebrun, Rafael Magana and Jon Campbell, the last of the six Campbell brothers -- have done a great job."

Another pleasant surprise is the enthusiasm he's seen.

"They all came in almost knowing what to expect this year," he said. "There's no culture shock. Every guy seems to know what to expect. I didn't have any kids come out the first week and go 'Whoa.'"

Royal

Transition is the buzzword at Royal this season, where the Knights are preparing to defend their 1A state title.

Royal must replace every offensive starter and eight defensive starters from last year's team that defeated rival Connell 28-16 in the state championship game.

Still, it's a safe bet that none of the other SCAC East teams has any sympathy for a Knights program that seems to reload with talent every fall.

One player to keep an eye is quarterback Connor Paysse. The 6-foot-1 senior showed promise while playing limited time in relief of starter Austin Allred last season. He threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season.

"Connor looks good," said Royal coach Wiley Allred. "He's worked hard all summer to improve his arm strength and technique. We're pretty excited about him."

The Knights will use a running-back-by-committee approach to replace all-stater Hector Ledezma, who rushed for 1,625 yards and 25 touchdowns a year ago. Senior Jorge Marmolejo figures to play a major role.

Another newcomer showed up just last week -- field turf. "The kids really seem to like it, and it's nice for the soccer team, too," Allred said.