The Bennett’s Creek Football Association is partnering with some of the local high schools to offer free football skills camps each Sunday in June at John Yeates Middle School.

“These camps are not just geared towards Bennett’s Creek, but they’re open to anyone ages 5 to 15,” said Bennett’s Creek Warriors football coordinator Gary Gregg.

Bennett’s Creek ran the first day of the camp on June 7, then teamed up with coaches and players from King’s Fork High School on June 14. Nansemond River High School will be helping run the camp on June 21 and 28.

“We like to partner with all the high schools,” Gregg said. “I didn’t reach out to Lakeland High School because they were in the midst of a head coaching change.”

When he contacted King’s Fork coach Joe Jones to help with the camp, “I jumped at the opportunity,” Jones said.

Jones used to coach Pop Warner football, and he said, “I have a soft spot in my heart for Pop Warner because my son played it for five years.”

Gregg said the first two Sundays have gone “in my opinion, extremely well,” with upwards of 50 participants each day. “We’ve gotten great feedback from parents.”

He noted the camp benefits coaches, players and parents.

A lot of players that compete for the Bennett’s Creek Warriors tend to go on to Nansemond River and King’s Fork when they enter their high school years. He said the camp gives high school coaches “an opportunity to see exactly what we’re teaching,” and in turn, “our coaches can pick their brains,” learning new drills and exercises.

Meanwhile, players and their parents get an idea of what will be expected physically at the high school level.

Jones said he, his staff and his players put campers “through some of the stuff we do at King’s Fork, some of the conditioning and agility drills that we do.”

At one station, they worked on blocking, at another they worked on tackling, at another they worked on throwing and catching and at a fourth station, they worked on running back drills.

“That worked out good, and the kids had a good time, and we enjoyed meeting them,” Jones said.

He realizes he is probably helping train young players he may have to coach against one day, but he was not bothered by that.

“It just helps football in Suffolk,” he said of the camps. “It’s just nice to be able to give back a little bit.”

Nansemond River will help run the camps on June 21 and 28, with the free sessions running from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at John Yeates.

For more information, contact Gary Gregg at 535-8002.