Spring camp is over for the GW Graham football Grizzlies, but the team has a big summer trip coming up.
The Grizz are making their annual trek to Warrenton, Oregon to participate in Camp Rilea, where they’ll test themselves in scrimmages against American competition and immerse themselves in football for four days (July 14-18).
“The value of Camp Rilea is you get so many reps,” said GWG coach Laurie Smith. “When we play games with a 38 man roster, guys on the third team offence and defence barely get in, maybe seeing the field a couple times.
“At Camp Rilea, we can literally play all day, doing three or four scrimmages against really, really good competition.”
Smith adds that the coaching staff can set up the scrimmages however they like to accomplish whatever goals they have.
“We can say, ‘We want to play all the (Grade) 9’s and 10’s or we want to play all the first year kids or whatever.
“So it gives the kids a chance to get some confidence and it’s also a great opportunity for team bonding having all the guys together, going to the beach and doing other activities.
“The guys just love that.”
The Grizzlies have used Camp Rilea as a catapult to great things in the past and that could be the case again this season as GWG brings a ton of talent to Oregon. The school’s junior varsity team is a provincial championship favourite and the senior varsity team has a good chance to be in the mix for a title come November.