A valuable experience

Warriors fare well in Oregon

Members of the Del Norte Warrior football team run onto the field before a scrimmage at a football camp recently in Gold Beach, Ore. Photo courtesy of Gary Percy/garysdigitalphotography

A key element of this preparation each year for the Del Norte High football squad is the Gold Beach Football Team Camp.

The five-day camp gave the Warriors a chance to compete with 15 other schools, scrimmage them, and take part in a variety of events.

“It was great to see the hard work these young men have been putting in turn into success,” head varsity football coach Ray Rook said. “Our hope is that our success will vault us into our summer programs and help us continue to take the steps required to become a good football team.”

“Overall, the coaching staff and I are very pleased with the effort of the teams at camp,” Rook added.

A total of 48 Warriors took part, 26 from the varsity squad and 22 from the junior varsity team. The camp concluded June 22. 

Rook said that the offensive line looked strong, and was “definitively the highlight and the strength of the program.”

The offensive line outperformed nearly every team in the linemen league competition,  he said.

The competition consisted of three events, an agility course, tire flip and tug of war. The only tug of war match loss was to South Medford, a much larger school, Rook said.

Rook is pleased that the offensive line consists of a very deep rotation, which bodes well for this fall.

The linemen also did a great job opening up running lanes for running backs Collin Taylor, Austin Moore, Julian Markussen, and Jordan Carpenter during scrimmages, he said.

In the 7-on-7 passing league, Rook said the Warriors competed well in every game.

“Both varsity quarterbacks, Julian Markussen and Aaron Fitch, were able to gain valuable experience versus multiple coverages,” he said.

The Warriors got to scrimmage several teams including Shadle Park of Spokane, Wash., South Medford and Phoenix of Ore., San Juan of Sacramento and fellow Big 5 Conference member  McKinnleyville, 

The highlight game, Rook said, was  the Beach Scrimmage-a-thon.

The Warriors were paired with Mazama,  Ore.

Rook said that the Del Norte defense allowed only one first down, and Luis Galindo had an interception.

 Offensively, Rook said that “we were able to use our entire running game as the offensive line provided a lot of push up front.”

A highlight of the game was a nearly 40-yard touchdown pass from Fitch to Kody Osborne. Markussen  went 3-for-4 and made a nice pass to Darien Simpson for about 30 yards, Rook said.

He was also was happy with how the junior varsity squad fared.

“I was very pleased with the effort of the JV team, which included several incoming freshmen,” Rook said. “I was especially excited about the amount that they were able to learn and the fluency in which they executed our offense and defense.”

Rook said that he was pleased with how the camp went overall for Del Norte.

“Our team competed with a championship attitude,” he said. “I would say that the team camp atmosphere and layout provide an enriching experience for our young athletes and truly gives them a feel of compassion for each other and competitiveness –– all in one.”

The Warriors will take part at a team camp in McKinleyville on July 22-24.

Del Norte will hold its annual Blue-Gold Football Scrimmage on Aug 19. Del Norte opens the season at home Sept. 2 against Hidden Valley, Ore.