The hash marks weren’t painted, the sidelines weren’t straight and the line of scrimmage was a rough estimate.
These football games had no referees, not because the audience loves anarchy, but kids young and old just wanted to have fun.
Devon Bell made sure of it with every snap at his youth football camp Friday morning.
The former Mississippi State Bulldogs punter had first- through eighth-graders running routes, juking defenders and making game-saving plays.
With a little help from Logan Cooke, the former Mississippi State punter drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the pair spent the morning teaching the fundamentals of football.
“Offense, defense, just teaching them the right technique,” Bell said. “Just letting them have fun.”
For a drill early Friday, the camp split into two groups.
In each group, one child played wide receiver trying to catch a ball from Bell or Cooke.
For the kid lined up on the opposite cone, his job was to run that ball the other way for an interception.
The drill produced several leaping catches and almost-had-it drops off of fingertips. Eventually, the duo added a quarterback into the mix. Although the throws became more wobbly, the high-flying grabs didn’t stop.
Friday’s camp was about more than pitch-and-catch football practice.
Cooke, who will likely be the starting punter for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fall, said it’s important for players like he and Bell to make an impression on kids.
The punter grew up in Columbia and graduated from Columbia Academy. He said exposing the kids to professional and college players can have a lasting influence.
“I remember when I was their age, I didn’t know any college or NFL football players,” Cooke said. “Just being able to get on the field with them, goof around and play some 7-on-7 like we’re going to do here in a little bit, that would have been awesome as a kid.
“And it’s fun for us, I live 30 minutes from here. I have a lot of cousins around here, so getting to come back and play around is great.”
After four games of 7-on-7, everyone went looking for shade and ice cold water.
There were interceptions, Hail Mary passes and a miraculous kickoff return to the house for a score.
The whole time, Bell and Cooke stood smiling and cheering on their teams. It’s why they enjoy the game so much.
“I told them earlier, the people my age and older who are still playing sports, they’re playing because they have fun,” Bell said. “They’re good at it, but they still have fun. They wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t fun.”
