Camp connects coaches, campers, alumni

July 11, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

Ursuline Football Camp

YOUNGSTOWN

Ursuline football coach Larry Kempe says football camps like the one the school is hosting this week are about building relationships. Campers in kindergarten through ninth grade may have got their first impressions of the Irish program on Monday, but others came back to maintain those ties forged on the school’s practice field.

Photo Gallery: Ursuline Football Camp

“I was just here 7-10 years ago doing the same thing these kids were doing,” said Trevor Smith, a 2011 Ursuline graduate. “You just get those feelings. The field looks the same. The locker rooms till smells the same. It brings back old memories and it helps me remember where I come from and who I am.”

Approximately 100 campers came to the Youngstown Catholic school, par for the course for Kempe.

“We had a staff meeting this morning and what I told them is ‘you need to interact with everyone of these campers so that they know who we are.’ I think that’s a key for us at Ursuline is to build a relationships with the young student athletes,” Kempe said. “We’ve got kids from Warren, Howland, Springfield, South Range, Canfield and Mineral Ridge — it’s a great crossmix throughout the Valley.”

Along with with Kempe’s coaching staff, Smith was in town to help out as well. He was a starting linebacker during Ursuline’s run of three consecutive state championships from 2008 through 2010. The 2009 victory stands out for Smith, when he stuffed Coldwater quarterback Keith Wenning at the Ursuline 2-yardline near the end of the first half. The Irish led the Cavaliers 27-13 at that point, but rolled to a 55-25 victory.

“That sack changed the tide of the game defensively. It was one of the best games of my career,” Smith said. “That sophomore year was pretty special to me.”

Smith played for Mount Union and Walsh in his college days. He’s currently pursuing a career with the United States Capital Police, a federal agency that is responsible for protecting members of Congress and their families. It also has shares jurisdiction with Washington D.C.’s police department. He picked up the career path from his father.

“(My father) was the head of the juvenile justice programming so I was always with him,” Smith said. “Instead of cartoons, I was watching First 48 and Law and Order at four or five years old. It got to a point where I could figure it out before the first commercial break.

“I like law period. I don’t necessarily want to be like my father, but I kind of fell in love with it.”

The campers will hit tackling dummies and continue to work on fundamentals today. They’ll get a thirst, a bag and some pizza for their efforts. For Kempe and his staff, it’s a welcome respite before the fall season starts next month.

“All I do is organize it. Our staff runs the drills,” Kempe said. “I kind of want to sit back and look and I want people to see that this is a good football program that we run here.”