Area camps draw top instructors

Former Heisman winner Gino Toretta will appear at Canfield and Mooney.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
Gino Toretta's going to be a busy man this summer.
The former Heisman-winning quarterback from the University of Miami will be a guest instructor at two upcoming football camps in the area.
Toretta, whose wife is from Boardman, will join Browns wideout Andre King and former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar on June 24-25 at Canfield High School for a quarterback/wide receiver camp for children entering grades 7-12.
"A few years ago, [Toretta] came up and spoke to the team before the Poland game," Canfield football coach Mike Pavlansky said. "We were able to develop a nice relationship with him and, fortunately, he was willing to come back up here and help us."
Then, on July 5-6, Toretta join college coaches Bob, Mike and Mark Stoops for the third annual Cardinal Mooney "Camp of Champions" for children entering grades 4-9. The Stoops brothers will cut short a family vacation in North Carolina to attend the camp, Mooney assistant Ron Stoops said.
"It's been a heck of a commitment on their part," Ron Stoops said. "But they have strong ties to the area and they want to give back. This is their chance to do that."
The Mooney camp also will feature Oklahoma assistant Bo Pelini, 49ers defensive backs coach Ron Lynn, Kent State assistant Pete Rextis, YSU assistant Jerry Olsavsky and former NFL players Michael Zordich and Don Maggs. Mooney's coaches also will be there, although Ron Stoops wasn't able to get his name in the camp brochure.
"It's hard to crack that lineup," he said with a laugh. "It's gotten to the point now that people in the area are calling and asking to be a part of it.
"It's a great opportunity for kids to be around some of the best coaches in the business," Stoops said.
The Mooney brochure also includes a tribute from the DeBartolo Corporation to former players Anthony Childs and Isiah Thomas, who died in a car wreck earlier this year in Mill Creek Park.
"That was their idea," Stoops said. "They sponsor the camp and they always put their championship trophies on the back of the brochure. This year they wanted to pay tribute to those two young men instead.
"It was a nice touch."