A youth football camp at Mansfield’s Arlin Field was exactly where Gee Scott Jr. wanted to be Friday evening.
Scott, a senior tight end at The Ohio State University, was a featured instructor during Friday’s Tyger Football Camp at Mansfield’s Arlin Field.
He was joined by fellow Buckeye teammates TreVeyon Henderson and Emeka Egbuka to help coach local Mansfield youth through camp drills, organized by
The Walk Foundation.
The foundation also provides a platform for collegiate and professional athletes to share about their faith in Jesus Christ.
“I think all three of us (Scott Jr., Henderson and Egbuka), we understand that although our passion is football, we believe that our purpose is to serve,” Scott said.
The senior tight end said it’s “important and necessary” for young adults to give back to local youth and offer them something beyond the sport itself.
“We’re offering them sports, but we’re also offering them truth in the gospel,” he said. “I’m thankful to be here and I’m just glad we were able to do this.”
Jacob Byrd, founder of
Centric Sports Group, has helped organize youth football camps at Arlin Field over the past few years.
A graduate of Ontario High School, Byrd has been able to include collegiate athletes from around the state as camp instructors, as well as several Mansfield Senior coaches, current athletes and Tyger alumni.
“This year, we actually didn’t have concrete plans to do another football camp,” he said.
After talking with Scott, Henderson and Egbuka, Byrd said plans began to take form for another Mansfield camp.
“They (Buckeye athletes) really felt led to come and make this a unique day for all the kids in the Mansfield City School District,” he said.
The two-hour camp was open to Mansfield students in grades kindergarten through eight at no charge. Attendees received dinner, two camp shirts, a backpack filled with school supplies and a group photo, among other giveaways.
Camp participants also had opportunities to hear from the trio of Buckeye athletes about their faith in the Lord — which brought them hope and peace, Byrd said.
“Earlier in their careers at Ohio State, they had some struggles with mental health and other things that go along with playing college football at the highest level,” he said.
“I just think it’s so incredible that they start fall camp next week and this is their last weekend.
“For most college football players that means taking the weekend off, going on vacation — but for them, they wanted to give back to the kids, so they drove an hour up to be able to pour into the kids of Mansfield,” Byrd said.
Egbuka spent time leading drills and tracing receiving routes with his finger on the back of a football Friday.
A senior wide receiver for the Buckeyes, Egbuka also made an effort to provide words of encouragement to camp participants at Arlin Field.
He said being a volunteer Friday reminded him of his own experiences attending football camps during his youth.
“This just shoots me straight back to the good old days where I was at camps like this, looking for the approval of all the older high school players and all the college players that were out there,” the senior receiver said.
“I try to just give them (camp participants) little nuggets and pieces and bits of encouragement because I definitely know it goes a long way,” Egbuka said.
Joy displayed on the face of Henderson was contagious Friday evening.
The senior Buckeye running back bounced between drills, interacting with camp participants each opportunity he had.
“It’s been amazing, just allowing the Lord to use me for his glory and to be able to lead people to Christ,” Henderson said Friday. “He changed my life forever.”
“Being able to spread the good news to others and tell others the good news about what Christ has done for us, that’s everything,” he said.