Athletes hit field for 21st All-Alaska Football Camp

WASILLA — Dylan Myers is tough.

The Palmer High senior defensive back enters the last of his 10 seasons playing football in his hometown with one of the best resources a player could ask for, the 21st annual All-Alaska Football Camp.

The All-Alaska Football Camp attracts college coaches from around the country and high school teams from around the state to form one of the nation’s more impressive prep football camps.

“They’re a little tougher when you get kids from up here. The downside is they don’t get to play year-round football, but they’re definitely tough-nosed, big, strong kids,” Luke Knauf, a Western New Mexico University line coach attending his fourth All-Alaska Football Camp, said about the Alaska talent.

Myers is one of those tough Alaska kids and one of more than 350 football players from more than 20 Alaska high schools who will receive instruction from 19 college football coaches. Typically staged at Colony High, this week’s camp is at Wasilla High School for the first time.

“They’re doing things to make themselves a better football player and a better athlete,” Wasilla head coach Kent Rilatos said. “It brings up a chance to be a better person by teaching them discipline, toughness, things that classrooms can’t teach.”

During its 21 years, the camp has evolved and grown to be truly an All-Alaska football camp. Nearly every Anchorage school is represented, as well as all four Valley schools. Eielson High School makes the trek from the Interior consistently, as well as smaller, more remote schools such as Kodiak, Valdez and Nikiski. No matter where in Alaska an athlete comes from, each player has an outstanding opportunity to learn and improve on his skills, and also have his talent recognized by collegiate football coaches.

Alaska’s climate gives unique challenges to athletes. Camp founder Randy Klingenmeyer says it’s the harsh conditions of playing football in this state that make toughness necessary for success. Success at this camp can be valuable in the long run. College coaches are paired with high school teams by similar style offensive and defensive schemes and work together to get the most out of each athlete and every play.

“The learning curve skyrockets in four days. There is no substitute for superior coaching,” said Klingenmeyer. “Alaska football is on the map. If the college coaches don’t have these guys on their team, they’ve got to coach against them.”

As about 100 linemen are squatting in three-point stances, West Texas A&M coach Colby Carthel barks out instruction.

“You’ve got to think I dominate the game!” Carthel said during the drill. “Don’t let linebackers makes all the tackles after you get blocked, find the guy with the ball and tackle him so our crowd can cheer, our band can play.

Football really is the main and only attraction.

“I don’t take anybody fishing,” says Klingenmeyer.

Each coach is here to provide the highest level of football knowledge they can to the camp. But the coaches also come looking to fill their own rosters with Alaska talent. NFL coach Bobby King of the Houston Texans highlights the list of coaches from across the nation this year. The camp has consistently put together a higher level of athletes and coaches, improving the overall level of play of Alaska football.

“I’m here to get kids better. That’s what they bring us up for. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the NFL or high school, every one of us going to be hoarse by the end of the week,” Carthel said. “At camp, you can find out what a kid is made of, what kind of attitude and work ethic they have. Being around a player in camp goes farther in recruiting.”

Each player who attends the camp is working toward the highest level of football he can play. For some, that will mean signing to play football with one of the coaches. For others, it means using the best resource for football anywhere around to make the jump from junior varsity to varsity.

“Three million kids play high school football. Maybe 10,000 play college football and 250 get their name called on draft day,” said Klingenmeyer.

Not every player can get to the next level, but the camp provides an opportunity for every player on every team to improve. Klingenmeyer rotates a ring on right ring finger.

“We spent $20,000 to go to a camp outside. I said, why can’t we do this in Alaska? At Dimond High School, we were not very good in 1991,” he said.

That year, Klingenmeyer founded the All-Alaska football camp and the Dimond Lynx won the state championship in 1993.

Myers knows his time playing football is limited. Myers is a part of the Palmer defensive backfield and has already started working toward his ultimate goal of a state championship. Every day Myers is in the Palmer High School weight room and sees attending the camp as another opportunity to get better and improve the team as a whole.

“The coaches teach a lot of fundamentals and good techniques. I heard one say you won’t be able to steal them quarters out of your momma’s purse if you’re that slow,” Myers laughs. “We’ve got the best coaches around out there here teaching us. It can’t do anything but help. I’m just trying to give 110 percent all the time.”

If Myers can use the camp to his advantage, one of these coaches might be able to give him the opportunity to keep playing the game he works so hard to perfect.