NFL Campers Learn Skills, Dodge Rain
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
The Opelousas Junior High football field was saturated and more rain clouds occasionally hovered on Saturday, but about 260 youths still gained various levels of skills experience during the NFL-sponsored skills camp featuring Keon Coleman.
Coleman, an Opelousas Catholic standout who completed his first professional season with the Buffalo Bills in 2024-25, was the main attraction for the Keon Coleman Youth Football Camp presented by FlexWorks Sports, a sports managing firm specializing in youth sports.
Participants ages 6-16, spent about three hours undergoing routine drills and routines under the tutelage of Coleman, former college and professional players as well as local coaches.
Information on the FlexWorks website indicates the company hosts similar football camps nationally and internationally during the offseason.
The events are usually centered around NFL players such as Coleman.
An upcoming FlexWorks camp involving Dallas Cowboys standout Micah Parsons will be held during the next month, said Luther Jones, a FlexWorks company representative who oversaw the Saturday activity at OJHS.
Jones added that the instructors on Saturday put the participants through routine 7-on-7 drills, while teaching a number of other skills necessary to perform on Friday nights.
“We are essentially a sports management group that puts on these camps and clinics throughout the world. This one (on Saturday) was conducted with Keon Coleman and his Foundation,” said Jones.
Jones said the instruction was volunteer-oriented and involved many of Coleman’s local athletic acquaintances.
Opelousas Catholic head football coach Cullen Matherne, who was one of the camp instructors, thought the youths benefitted from the instructions.
“The field was pretty wet, but I was surprised that it is in great condition and it seemed to drain well, despite all the rain we had. It was great to see the enthusiasm from all of the kids, along with a great group of coaches,” Matherne said.
Matherne said Northwest High head football coach Chris Edwards was one of the coaches along with Harry Coleman, who was recently hired as the head football coach at Opelousas High.
