J. EDMUND BARNES

PHOTO 1: Johnathan Schexnayder, left, helps his little brother Beau Schexnayder with the fundemenatals of football. Their mother Lori Schexnayer, right, encourages them to participate in sports. (Staff photo by J. Edmund Barnes) LAPLACE – The sun beats down the St. Charles Catholic High School football field. Moving in this heat usually involves going from one shady air-conditioned spot to another. But this Monday morning Comets football coach Frank Monica was running 30 7-13 -year-olds through fundamental football drills. The kids are divided into three groups of 10. One group works on running passing routes, while another group works on foot work. Monica’s group is learning the essentials of running the ball. With a few of his varsity players helping out, Monica walks the younger boys through the very basics of ball handling. His attitude gruff but friendly at the same time, Monica explains how to hold the ball in the claw of the hand, why the ball is placed between the pointer and middle fingers, and what happens when the coaches see a player holding the ball away from his body. “Up-downs. Show them what an up down is, Johnathan,” he said. Johnathan Schexnayder throws himself at the ground, then jumps up rapidly. PHOTO 2: Ryan Alleman bounces off a pad as he practices running down the sidelines at the St. Charles Catholic football camp Monday. (Staff photo by J. Edmund Barnes) But Monica is merely illustrating a point. He has the kids divide into two lines and race each other while practicing making cuts against imaginary linebackers. Then he has the kids practice running along the sidelines while avoiding being knocked out of bounds. The fundamentals are there – the kids learn how to hit hard and be aggressive, but more importantly, they are having fun. “We keep it open,” said Monica. “We give them some basic training, something they can take with them. “Kids nowadays are naturally softer. You get what you tolerate. There is more for kids to do nowadays. It takes time, dedication. Their spirits are pretty good.” Monica said some of the players presently helping out had once attended the camp. “We don’t use (the camp) for recruiting. We tend to get kids who are hard workers,” he said. Monica said work ethic is what sets St. Charles Catholic players apart – relying on dedication rather than size to win ballgames. “The best part of football camp is that it prepares you for the season. As I go there I’m thinking of stuff I’ve got to do with the varsity. It gets you into the mind frame,” he said. The coach also laughed about football camps when he was young. “There was no such thing as a water break,” he said. Waiting for her sons at the end of camp was Lori Schexnayder. Her 11-year-old son Beau Schexnayder was attending the camp as a student, while her older son Johnathan was there as a counselor. Lori Schexanyder said she loves everything about football. “I encourage them to play football,” said Lori Schexnayder. “They also play baseball.” For Lori Schexnayder, the worst part about the game is when someone goes down. “Its bad when anyone goes down, but I don’t want it to be my son.” As for coach Monica’s camp, Lori Schexnayder said “I approve of it. It’s very disciplined. “I try to get the kids outside in the heat, but they like Playstation. I can’t get them away from the video games.” Beau Schexnayder said his favorite part of football camp was running the ball. His mom quickly added: “And not getting caught,” to which Beau Schexnayder nodded agreement. When asked if he liked smacking people down in football, Beau Schexnayder growled a hearty “Yeah!” Beau Schexnayder hopes to play safety one day. “You wait for somebody to get the ball, then you tackle him,” said Beau Schexnayder. His brother Johnathan Schexnayder said he has played since he was in the third grade. He now plays linebacker for the Comets. “I teach (Beau) his stances, how to catch, to warp up when you tackle,” Johnathan Schexnayder said. “I see him being better than me in basketball and baseball, but not in football.” Jonathan Schexnayder hopes to play at the next level, and wants to play for either LSU or the University of Florida.