Dan Falloon
Incoming Muskie football coach Chad Canfield isn’t shy about his hopes for this year’s team.
The former team MVP is looking for a good number of bodies for the annual spring camp, which kicks off today at 6 p.m. at Fort High.
Canfield said he hopes to have 50 players suit up for the black-and-gold this season, but would be handcuffed with a roster smaller than 35.
“What I would really like to see out there is 50 kids, each person learning one position,” he stressed.
“Last year, when I was assistant coach, we had most of our players going two ways, and it’s really unfair to ask a kid to go both ways and also play special teams,” Canfield noted.
“It’s just too much to know.”
Canfield is encouraging interested players to come out now, and not wait until September, since the groundwork for the upcoming season will be set over the course of this week.
“It’s really important that they’re coming out and they’re learning their basic skills, so when we do the refresher in the fall, we can spend less time doing that and we can spend more time critiquing our techniques and expanding our playbook a little bit more,” he explained.
“Obviously, it’s best to get out there as soon as you can and learn all the basics because if you’re coming out in September, and you’re lining up against a guy who was at spring camp and has been there a couple weeks in August already, you’re going to be at a huge disadvantage.
“The best thing kids can do is show up right away,” he stressed.
The spring camp wraps up Saturday with a scrimmage against the Dryden Eagles at 12:30 p.m. at Muskie Field.
