Colonels Hope Camp Experience Pays Off During Season

Posted: August 8, 2014
By ROBERT STOCKS
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — After spending the first three days of practice at Camp Paddy Run in Star Tannery, James Wood High School’s football team returned for its first two-a-day session on the school’s campus with the Colonels feeling closer and more unified as a team.

And while the Colonels’ three-day camp away from home might have lacked good cell phone coverage and wireless, it seems like the experience served its purpose, helping the players focus solely on football for a few days as James Wood looks to rebound from a one-win season as the rebuilding process continues under second-year coach Mark McHale.

“We got a lot done and it was really a good experience,” McHale said, following Thursday’s second practice. “It’s a lot better focus with quality time with no interruptions. I think it’s put us ahead of this time last year as far as learning and just execution and that type of thing.”

The Colonels, coming off a 1-9 season, practiced twice a day at camp, focusing on offense in the morning session followed by a defensive session in the afternoon.

Monday’s first practice for the 37 players attending camp provided a challenge, but the players said going away for a preseason camp — something McHale said the team hadn’t done since back in the 1980s — helped them focus on their preparation for the season ahead.

“It was really good, and we did a lot better going through the plays and making sure the plays were right,” said Cody Feltner, a 6-foot, 340-pound senior right tackle and defensive tackle. “It was a good experience.

“It was tough — it was really tough,” Feltner added with a laugh. “The first day was really tough but then it started getting easier. I think it brought us more together like a family.”

“It was something different and definitely a bonding experience for the team,” added senior halfback and inside linebacker Landon Rutherford. “It brought us all closer and it was football all day.”

James Wood senior wide receiver and cornerback Nick Manuel said it was good to focus on nothing but football for a few days.

“We had some high intensity [practices] with every single player on the team,” said Manuel, a second team All-Northwestern District selection last year. “We woke up at 7 a.m. each day and we were always active and just learning football in some way.”

And while the Colonels feel like they accomplished a lot in their three-day camp, there was also time following practice to cool off in a swimming pool and then relax during the evenings. McHale said the team watched movies each night, including “Remember the Titans,” “Facing the Giants” and “We Are Marshall,” and he said the parents from the Touchdown Club really provided tremendous support.

“Would I do it again? Yes, particularly because the parents did such a great job with it and made it a success,” McHale said of the camp experience. “It was like being in an NFL camp — that’s what it was like for me. I think they really enjoyed it. It gave them a time to bond.”

McHale also hopes the successful camp, along with what he termed a very competitive offseason in the weight room and with team drills, translates to more success on the field.

The Colonels lost their first eight games before defeating Millbrook 13-6 for their lone victory a season ago.

But the Colonels — who return nine starters on offense and seven on defense — won’t have a big learning curve with the playbook heading into McHale’s second year with the program, and many of McHale’s players bulked up in the team’s offseason weight-lifting and conditioning program.

With a solid offseason and a great three-day camp experience to start fall practice, McHale hopes those ingredients lead to a turnaround this season.

“They know what to expect now and experience is big,” McHale said. “I think the kids are going into [the season] with positive feelings.

“I think they feel like they’re going to have a good year. We’re going to have to stay healthy because of depth and we’re going to have to execute. If we execute, I think we can be a pretty good football team.”

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