With football season right around the corner, youngsters were hitting the field at the Tomah Youth Football Camp this week.

The camp, which started on Monday, wraps up today at 6 p.m. Nearly 90 kids in grades 3-8 came out to learn some fundamentals and play a little football with third-year Tomah High School head football coach Brad Plueger and several high school football players.

“The high school kids and coaches come down for the youth camp, and they run it all,” Plueger said. I organize and get the kids here, but they do all the rest.”

Plueger said that participation numbers are about average this year, and that the kids like to learn from the high school players. He also said that he enjoys having his players involved in the camp.

“It is nice to have the high school kids do this,” Plueger said. “It helps make them leaders and comfortable teaching.”

The camp practices n which run from 4 to 6 p.m. n start with a punt, pass and kick contest. The kids then learn stretches and warm-ups, participate in fundamentals stations, play seven-on-seven touch-football games, and have a few other contests, including a tug of war. No matter where they may excel when they reach the high school level, the kids learn all of the positions on the field at the youth camp.

“The kids are going to learn every position,” Plueger said. “They are too young to have that figured out.”

The high school football players had a camp of their own this week following the youth camp practices with nearly 70 high school players participating. Plueger said the timing couldn’t be better for camp than late July.

“I like doing the camp later in the summer like this because we only really have one week off and then we start practice,” Plueger said. “It is a good transition.”

As much as the kids like to learn from their older and bigger counterparts, many of the high school football players enjoy being the teachers on the field.

“It is fun seeing the kids get after it,” senior Rhett Monroe said. “Some of these guys will be playing in high school in a few years, and it’s fun to see them out here.”

For Plueger and his team, helping out the kids who are the future of the high school program is a rewarding experience, and a big part of the camp for Plueger is to have his team help out in the community.

“We always talk about giving back to the community,” Plueger said. “The kids really think big of these guys.”