FOOTBALL: Elsdon gives back with youth football camp
Jul. 17—FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — As he stepped into the middle of the circle, Tyler Elsdon got a little emotional as he addressed a group of youngsters kneeling around him.
The 2020 North Schuylkill graduate was back at his alma mater Sunday morning, conducting a free youth football camp for North Schuylkill students entering grades 3-8 at Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium.
It was a chance for the Penn State starting middle linebacker to give back to the school and community he cherishes so much.
"For me, it's been something I've been wanting to do for a long time," Elsdon said. "Ever since I left North Schuylkill I've always wanted to give back to the program that gave me so much. This was a great opportunity. Having it at North Schuylkill, just North Schuylkill kids, and it being a youth camp, it was special.
"I know if I was in their shoes, a young me, this would have been a great day for me, not because of who I am, but because it's football, you're playing with your buddies, you're having fun. I saw a lot of smiles today, a lot of laughter. It was just an overall great day."
Elsdon was a four-year starter at North Schuylkill, excelling at fullback and linebacker and helping the Spartans go 36-12 with four District 11 playoff appearances in that span.
He was a two-time Pennsylvania Football Writers and PFN Coaches Select Class 3A All-State selection, a two-time Republican Herald All-Area Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Dream Team Defensive Player of the Year, finishing his career with 341 tackles (145 solo), 16 sacks and 57 tackles for loss.
Elsdon had 115 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two interceptions and three blocked punts as a junior, helping the Spartans win the District 11 Class 3A title and compete in the PIAA playoffs. As a senior, he compiled 94 tackles (45 solo), five sacks, 17 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one interception and four kick blocks for the Spartans, who won the Schuylkill League Division I title and reached the District 11 Class 3A title game.
Sunday he was back at North Schuylkill, sharing his knowledge and his experiences with a group of 60 future Spartan football players.
He was assisted by former teammates Jake Green and Jaden Leiby; North Schuylkill coaches Wally Hall, Corey Mentzer, Gene LaPointe and Carl Stine; and a group of 10 current Spartans that included quarterback Trevor Minalda, running back/linebacker Jaxson Chowansky, kicker Gavin Mentzer, wide receiver/defensive back Keegan Curry and lineman Sander Stokes.
"He's a great representation of our program," Hall said of Elsdon. "Tyler obviously worked incredibly hard to get to the point he's at. He has a gift, but the better thing about it, he's a great person. He always wants to give back. He's all about his community, where he came from, the school he came from.
"Tyler is doing all the right things. We're incredibly proud of him. He's such a great image for our program, our community, our area and he takes tremendous pride in that."
The camp was sponsored by St. Luke's Sports Medicine, and each of the campers received a towel courtesy of Geisinger/St. Luke's.
Elsdon and his staff broke the camp into several sections, working on skill building and conditioning first, then adding competitions that included an obstacle course and tug-of-war at the end.
"I had a lot of help," Elsdon said. "From current North Schuylkill players, past people, coaches ... a lot of people volunteered their time for me to make this happen. I was very fortunate.
"My main objective was in the beginning to do more skill instruction. They are younger kids, but they're eager to learn and they took the learning to teaching well. Toward the end we had a little fun, did some circuit drills they could do on their own time to develop their game, then at the end competed. When you're having good work and having fun at the same time, it's the best possible outcome, for sure."
A 6-foot-2, 235-pounder, Elsdon is entering his redshirt-junior season at Penn State. He started all 13 games at middle linebacker last season, was fourth on the team with 44 tackles (25 solo) and also recorded three tackles for loss, a sack, two quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
He matched his career high of six tackles three times, including in the Nittany Lions' 35-21 victory over Utah in the Rose Bowl.
Elsdon is one of six returning starters on defense for Penn State, which has 41 total lettermen and seven returning starters on offense from last year's 11-2 club. He said he returns to Penn State on July 24, with preseason camp set to start Aug. 1.
Penn State opens its 2023 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 2, at home against West Virginia (ABC, 7:30 p.m.).
"I'm really eager to get into camp," said Elsdon, a health policy and administration major who earned Academic All-Big Ten honors last season. "There's a lot of expectations, but honestly, that's all rat poison. At the end of the day, the outside noise is always bad. You just have to focus on yourself, focus on the team, focus on the locker room.
"We have lofty expectations, but we're really approaching it by focusing on ourselves. The rest will take care of itself."
As for the camp, it was the first time North Schuylkill has hosted a youth camp during the summer. Hall is hoping it becomes an annual tradition.
"This is the first camp we've had here," Hall said. "This is a great thing to start and Tyler was the perfect person to get it going."
Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter
