Advertisement

Virgen: Kids act like NFL players at Lightning Youth Combine

Share

Stephen Austin, a former NFL scout and director of regional combines, did his best to motivate a group of 9- to 13-year-olds before they participated in the Lightning Youth Combine at Sage Hill School Friday morning.

“Somebody here may grow up and go to the NFL,” he said. “Somebody here may go to the combine in Indianapolis.”

Many of the young players have big dreams and they learned about how older athletes prepare and perform NFL-style drills geared toward becoming a pro.

Advertisement

They went through various stations, including the 40-yard dash, the broad jump and bench press, to compete and learn.

“Today is going to be a whole of fun, just getting after it,” Abram Booty, the combine director and Sage’s football coach, told the group. “Competition drives everything, in the real world and in sports.”

Logan Bednar, a 13-year-old from Irvine, stood out for sure. Bednar, 6-feet-1/2 and 235 pounds, will be an eighth-grader at Pioneer Intermediate. He’s already preparing to make a big decision for which high school he will attend.

He performed 35 lifts of 85 pounds at the bench press, where former pro Shar Pourdenash, a Youth Combine coach, spotted him.

Football is serious business. So it’s no surprise that NFL-style combine clinics can now be geared for young athletes like Bednar.

He travels to play and practice in Riverside, where he’s the right tackle for the Inland Empire Ducks, a team that is in the San Diego Youth Football League that is grade-based and has unlimited weight enrollment.

“The younger athletes constantly need to go out there and work out,” said Bednar’s father, Aaron. “My son doesn’t stop. It’s an every day thing. All these combines help them get familiar with the high school football fields. They need to stay conditioned and not stop. Kids are getting bigger and faster every day. You have to keep up.”

Steve Sarkisian, USC’s football coach, knows clinics like the Youth Combine have become popular for young football players. Sarkisian’s son, Brady, participated in the Youth Combine. Brady, 10, was one of several athletes from the Newport-Mesa Junior All-American Seahawks who attended the combine on Friday.

“What I think is good for these kids is to really learn the fundamentals and techniques that are necessary to become a good football player,” Sarkisian, a Newport Beach resident, said just before speaking to the group of kids. “It’s not always just about the athleticism or the fastest kid or the biggest kid, it’s about using the proper fundamentals and techniques. And understanding teamwork and working for one another. I think these types of operations and these types of days are really positive for their future as well as the experience for today.”

Sarkisian encouraged the group of young football players and told them that they were laying down the foundation for what they will be in football and in life.

He said that’s what makes football “the best sport in the world.”

“You guys are lucky to be out here with a great bunch of coaches,” Sarkisian said. “This is a great opportunity for all of you. This is a unique opportunity.”

The Youth Combine coaching staff also included Booty’s father, Johnny, who will be an assistant for his son at Sage. The elder Booty is a high school coaching legend in Louisiana and is known for his expertise in coaching quarterbacks.

Naturally, he directed throwing drills during the Youth Combine.

Abram Booty is a former pro wide receiver. He led receiving drills in addition to his other various duties.

The young players appeared excited to compete and willing to learn.

“You’re going to enjoy this game, it’s a special game,” Austin told the group during a break. “Mark my words, when you become an adult you’ll be glad you played football.”

Advertisement