Wildcat football improves at camp

Louisburg football coach Kyle Littrell works with the linebackers during a drill Friday on the final day of the team camp at Louisburg High School. The Wildcats are working to improve off their three-win season a year ago.

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The 2014 campaign left a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of Louisburg football players and coaches.

Louisburg won three games a season ago and were on the wrong end of several close games. Since the beginning of summer break, the Wildcats have been working hard to get rid of those memories.

The Wildcats, under head coach Kyle Littrell, concluded their week-long team camp Friday at Louisburg High School and have put 2014 in their rearview mirror.

“I see a team that is ready to come out of their shells,” Littrell said. “We have been considered young and inexperienced but now we are one of the big boys. We probably have the most experience coming back in the league. We are bigger across both lines and we have speed, so why shouldn’t we be better? Our pieces have to come together and if that happens I really think we can have a good year.”

The players hit the practice field around 6:30 p.m. every day last week and worked out for two-and-half hours improving on a variety of different aspects. Littrell said his group was able to get in 80 to 90 percent of their offense

Defensively, the Wildcats were able to put in their base package and should give them a head start come August and the first day of practice. However, the work load doesn’t stop with camp.

“There is a lot asked of the kids and they have a lot going on with all the other different sports and activities,” Littrell said. “I know it is asking a lot, but I want them to come in for an hour every Monday just so we can keep what we learned at camp fresh in our minds so we don’t have to go over it again come practice. I think they have responded well to that and will really help us.”

Players also have the opportunity to hit the weight room a couple times a week and are currently participating in 7-on-7 workouts in Paola every Monday in June. The Wildcats will conclude their summer workouts on July 17 when they will host Blue Valley Southwest in a controlled scrimmage.

Louisburg hopes to have a special season this time around as the Wildcats return 15 starters on both sides of the ball and should have depth at several positions, including quarterback. Senior Austin Terry and junior Grant Harding are both competing for the starting spot and both saw significant varsity time a season ago.

The Wildcats also return most of their offensive and defensive lines and Littrell hopes those players, along with a couple newcomers, can give Louisburg the physical front it is looking for.

“We were able to accomplish a lot during camp and I was really pleased with the whole week,” Littrell said. “I think they were a little worn down Friday and we were making a lot of mistakes, but that really doesn’t take away what we were able to do. I was really happy to see that.”

The players may have been tired, but the players’ moms were full strength and ready to go. To end the camp, Littrell invited all the of the players moms to take part in a little mini-camp.

All of the moms went through warm-ups and then took part in the position drills. Each mother played the position of her son.

“The only time I took part in a mom football camp was when I coached at Shawnee Mission South in 2000 and that time it was a 3-day camp,” Littrell said. “I didn’t want to step out that far yet, but I thought it would be a good thing to have the moms come out for an evening and learn what all their sons do and what their responsibilities are.

“I also wanted them to know that we care about their kids and that we want them to be successful. I think for the most part it is just to give them a first-hand look at what their sons go through and what a normal practice might look like. Overall I thought it went really well.”