Growth of Poughkeepsie youth football camp delights participants, organizers
Since the conclusion of his professional football career, Shonda Faulkner has opened businesses in Florida and Jamaica, but has remained involved with the sport as a youth coach.
It was while coaching in Florida, he said, that he was struck by the number of big-time athletes who returned regularly to their hometowns and conducted clinics for youngsters.
“I don’t think kids in the North have nearly as many opportunities for things like that,” Faulkner said, referring to the majority of high-level collegiate football players hailing from other regions, particularly the South. “For the people from here who have played at the college level or beyond, I think it’s important that we go back and try to help the upcoming generations.”
That's why he is among a group of Poughkeepsie natives who have spent recent weeks teaching the game to young hopefuls.
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What began four years ago as a one-week football tutorial for small children, has grown into a month-long free football camp, which drew hundreds of area kids to Poughkeepsie High School this summer to be coached by a few former standouts.
“There’s nothing like the joy of seeing little kids learn something and have fun with it,” said Jahlani Lord, a 2012 Poughkeepsie grad who went on to play at Mount Ida College. “It’s always a great feeling, pouring positive energy into your community and doing something for the kids. You see yourself again at that age, falling in love with football.”
Camp enrollment more than doubled from last year as 220 children, ages 5 to 17, hit the field weekday mornings to receive instruction, practice drills and test their skills. They’re monitored by chaperones and coaches, including Jayden Lassiter, a former Roy C. Ketcham High School star who went on to play at Bowie State University.
“There has always been a lot of athletic talent in this area,” said Faulkner, who starred at Indiana State and competed in minicamps with the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings before going on to a career in the Canadian Football League. “We try to let them enjoy themselves while teaching some techniques, and that’s big at that developmental age.”
The program was spearheaded by Roy Watterson in 2019 with a long-term goal, he said, of "reviving" the sport in Poughkeepsie. The former Marist College football player also believes that sports can serve as a tool to help steer youngsters from trouble.
Watterson said he received a $20,000 grant from Dutchess County to help fund the camp, along with donations from several local businesses and the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department.
Watterson coaches alongside other former Poughkeepsie stars including Mzari Evans and Tay Elting, and Mecca Johnson and Valize Nelson are among the volunteers overseeing the program.
“We’re very grateful for the generosity and everybody contributing to this,” Waterson said. “We’ve been able to pay some of the staff, buy equipment and get a lot of food, and that’s important. Some of the kids come here hungry, so every Friday we prepare extra meals, so they have something to take home.”
Poughkeepsie High School once was a football powerhouse, but the program has struggled in the decade-plus since winning a Section 1 championship in 2011. Participation declined as interest in the sport waned. This, Lord said, is a ground-up rebuild, the first step of which is introducing newcomers to the game and helping harness the talents of those who are interested.
Poughkeepsie also debuted last August a flag football league for boys and girls between ages 4 and 10. That league, organized by Greg Charter, is an extension of the camp and, in theory, both will serve as a feeder system for the high school program.
JayQuan Floyd, a longtime assistant, was approved last spring as the new varsity head coach. He said then that he aimed to foster a strong connection between the youth leagues, its coaches, and his team.
“It means a lot,” Lord said. “This was the kind of atmosphere we had when I was growing up. It slowed down a lot over the last few years. But right now, with these types of camps and things like the flag football program, we’re trying to restore the pride.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Locals proud as Poughkeepsie youth football camp continues to expand
