Fountain Lake Cobras host Lake Hamilton, Hampton for team camp

FOUNTAIN LAKE — Fountain Lake played host to the first of several team camps in the county Tuesday as Lake Hamilton and Hampton spent several hours at Allen Tillery Field Tuesday.

“I really enjoyed the energy of the camp. … I thought we had a lot of it to start off,” said Fountain Lake first-year head coach Brandon Barbaree. “We’re still working on cleaning up our offense, defense and all the techniques involved, but I thought the effort was good. That’s really what you’re looking for in the first one because it’s going to be hot and it’s tough on the kids, but I enjoyed seeing our kids with great attitudes and we played hard all day.”

With several returning starters packing the Cobras’ roster, Barbaree foresees significant contributions of offensive and defensive experience on the line that will in turn, “give them a chance up front.”

“I honestly believe the offensive line is going to be a strength for us,” Barbaree said. “It’s just seeing how our offense works, that’s the thing about it. For our kids, they are practicing against themselves, but to have it on film against somebody else is good for our kids to see.

“To be able to say, ‘This is the reason we’re doing this or taking this step,’ and try to give that video evidence of what’s going to make us better is going to help them see the improvements they can make. We don’t have a true grasp yet of the new system, but our kids are getting better every day.”

Fountain Lake players took advantage of the opportunity to compete with the athletes from the other two schools, and Barbaree said he felt that his players benefitted greatly from the experience gained by going up against skilled players.

“With Lake Hamilton being a 6A school and having 85 guys over there, and our 30 kids here, I thought just the scrappiness and the fight we had to compete and being able to be successful gave those guys a big confidence boost for sure,” he said. “Hampton brought a bunch of athletes. We have some really good athletes, as well, and I thought our kids competed well. The effort and attitude was good and then our kids took the coaching well. … That’s always a big thing in those first camps. You see those other intangibles rather than just seeing who can play.”

Despite the heat index rising to over 100 degrees, the athletes gave full effort while fully dressed out in pads and helmets.

“We got in 91 football plays, and that’s typically almost a game for us, but that was spread out over three hours,” Barbaree said. “It’s full contact except for below the waist. Our kids were hitting the ground and everything else, trying to stay up, but it’s a physical game, and it was fun to watch our kids be physical. You get to see the mental toughness in the weight room, but you don’t always get to see the true physical

aspect or who’s going to come back when they get popped.

“We didn’t have any heat problems — the kids kept going. Nobody was complaining or trying to come out, and our kids fought through it with low numbers, and I think that actually shows the toughness level that we’re going to really harp on. We’re going to try to be tougher than everybody we play.”

In his inaugural year at the helm of the Cobras program, Barbaree expressed his desire to see growth in his players as they move forward. The excitement and aspirations he carries to revamp the program and its reputation offers a chance for the Cobras to instill fear into the minds of their opponents.

“We’re getting to see growth,” said Barbaree. “That’s the great thing about being new and getting to watch these guys. … They’re going to grow so much this first year. That’s what I’m really looking forward to … seeing us grow not just as football players, but as young men.

“The biggest compliment someone could give to me is by saying, ‘Your kids just play so hard.’ Wins and losses will come with that, we just want everyone to give it everything they have to play the game and that’s what we’re going to strive for every day. We just want to be that team that everybody looks at and goes, ‘Yeah, you don’t want to play those guys.’

“Hopefully, we’ll be those guys at the end of the season.”