MUSKEGON, Mich. — While it may be summer, football is still fresh on so many people's minds at every level. High schools are participating in 7-on-7 camps, plus college football teams and NFL teams are already game planning for the fall.
However, there is one thing that is hardly ever apparent - an offensive line camp.
"A lot of times offensive linemen get to a place where they are put out to pasture for a little bit," Whitehall football coach Tony Sigmon said. "This camp is fantastic because it puts the highlight on them."
That was not the case in Muskegon.
"Just making sure that these kids have every opportunity to be successful," Muskegon offensive line coach Matt Bolles said. "When you watched the highlights of that stuff, there are way more highlights of the o-line, d-line stuff than there is the skill guy stuff."
On Monday, Muskegon High School hosted its fifth annual "Get Mauled" camp at historic Hackley Stadium that puts a spotlight on the offensive line. The camp has grown significantly over the years. The first year, only three schools showed up. On Monday, over 100 kids were there.
"The big guys make the game," Canton football coach John Garrett said. "Without these guys, football doesn't exist. Skinny guys, we can find them in nickels. They are everywhere. The big guys run this game so we do everything we can to get them better."
Schools from all across the state showed up.
The goal is not to just teach high school kids the importance of playing in the trenches but also get them excited to play a position that might not get as much shine as the ones that score touchdowns.
"That love for what they are doing is really a big part of every coach and every program's culture," Bay City John Glenn football coach Jon Horton said. "Getting your big kids to want to be big kids and not quarterbacks and wide receivers."
The final day of the offensive line camp is on Tuesday.
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