J.R. Tidwell
Participants in the 2013 Russellville High School youth summer football camp stand around the Tiger statue by the fieldhouse Thursday morning.

RUSSELLVILLE — Football is the No. 1 sport for many people across the Unites States, but there is nowhere the game is more popular than in the South.

Russellville High School has a rich tradition in the sport, like winning four state titles in the ‘60s for instance.

The key to continued success in the game has been teaching each generation that comes up how to play, and the importance of that process had not been lost on the current generation of coaches for the Golden Tigers.

Russellville head football coach Michael Jackson put on a youth football camp at RHS Thursday to help teach the local youth how to better play the game.

“We had a good camp,” Jackson said.

“We had between 35 and 40 players, and the kids ranged from grades fifth through seventh.

“We had a good time, even though it was a little hot outside.

“It was really exciting for me to get to see those young guys, especially when a lot of those young guys I recognize because their dads played at Russellville.

“It’s good for us to get to see those young kids because they’re so excited about playing football.

“The kids were able to get a look at what we do. They got to see how we do our agility training and speed training, and some of the drills we do with the offensive line and the passing game.

“It’s a day to get out, do some drills and have some competition. We’re really excited about how it turned out.”

As is the case with most events of its kind, the focus of the camp was teaching the fundamentals of the game to the kids.

“We focused mainly on technique, how to use your body,” Jackson said.

“The main thing that was stressed was proper technique when it comes to tackling.

“It was a non-contact camp, but we teach how to tackle.

“That’s a big deal in youth football.

“We stressed teaching some fundamentals of the game, because learning those at an early age will help you get better and keep you from getting injured.”

The camp is a great way to not only teach young kids how to play the game but to get the next generation of players interested in being a future Golden Tiger.

“This is not the ideal time to have a camp because school just let out and people are out of town, but it’s really important for us because most of those kids at the camp will play football at Russellville High School one day,” Jackson said.

“It’s important for those guys to be excited to be on our practice field, game field and in our fieldhouse.

“It’s important for those guys to be excited about being a Golden Tiger from a young age.”