Youth Football Return on Investment

 

A LOOK BACK

More than 150 youth football players took part in the first annual Thompson Family Football Camp on Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Matthew Gilleran Field at the Truman Waterfront Park. Led by Carolina Panthers tight end Colin Thompson and his family, several of his Panthers teammates and coaches, as well as Jacksonville Jaguar running back and Key West native Mekhi Sargent and numerous college and high school coaches took part in the two-hour camp. Each registered camper got a T-shirt, lunch and a goodie bag.

Mekhi Sargent signed hundreds of autographs on shoes, shirts, caps and balls for the second annual Key West Football Camp.

 

By SCORE STAFF

Jul 8, 2023

A whole lot more time, money and effort were invested in youth football during the past year.

Before the Key West Junior Football League kicked off in August of 2022, the second annual Summer Football Camp was conducted at the George Mira Football Field with NFL and hometown hero Mekhi Sargent along with collegiate and prep coaches bringing their expertise to more than 100 local youth.

The Key West Junior Football League started with a football jamboree in August, with the regular season commencing on Saturday, Sept. 3, and running through Saturday, Nov. 12.

Before the season ended, Homecoming festivities took center stage as Dakota Lettie was named Homecoming Queen.

The final whistle sounded on Saturday, Nov. 12, as three teams completed the regular season with perfect marks.

In the B Division, the Shrimp Pimp Seahawks finished with a 6-0 record, while the Lass Re Captive Packers ended with a 7-0 mark in the C Division and AOK Realty Gators topped out at 7-0, too, in Flag play.

Things did not go so well for Key West in the postseason. On Saturday, Dec. 10, the Miami-Dade Extreme Youth Steelers won all three games against Key West All-Stars, two via shutout. The Key West U9 squad came close but made too many mistakes against the seasoned Steelers teams.

Just because the season ended, it was not the end, rather just the beginning for the 2023 season.

On Saturday, Feb. 4, NFL players converged on Key West to hold the first Thompson Family Football Camp. More than 150 youth football players were at the Matthew Gilleran Field at the Truman Waterfront Park. Led by Carolina Panthers tight end Colin Thompson and his family, several of his Panthers’ teammates and coaches, as well as Jacksonville Jaguar running back and Key West native Mekhi Sargent and numerous college and high school coaches took part in the two-hour camp.

And that’s not the end, just the beginning.

According to summer camp organizer Miguel Gonzalez, the third annual offering is slated from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, at Mira Field. The camp is free for youth players from the age of 5-14. Contact Gonzalez at 305-684-6727 for information.

NFL’s Sargent comes home to give back to community

 

By RON COOKE Key West Citizen

June 24, 2022

During the 2021 Key West Summer Youth Football Camp, Alvin Howard worked with older players on pass receiving. He is scheduled to work with youth this weekend.

RON COOKE/The Citizen

Aspiring local youth football players have the chance to work out this weekend at two different clinics with National Football League running back and Key West native Mekhi Sargent.

 

Sargent

On Friday, June 24, from 9 a.m. to noon, the prolific ball carrier, in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club of the Keys, will hold the first Mekhi Sargent Football Campaign.

 

Close to 100 members of the area clubs, ages 5 to 14, will learn basic football skills at George Mira Football Field from Sargent and a group of former Key West High School players.

 

“Being able to partner with the Boys & Girls Club is something that is very exciting to me,” Sargent stated in a news release. “The Boys & Girls Club is a very special organization that does great work, and being able to use the platform that I now have to work with their kids and bring smiles to their faces is very humbling.”

 

Sargent said it has been a dream to return to Key West, where he grew up playing in the Junior Football League and went on to great things as an All-American while playing for the Conchs and a successful collegiate career that catapulted him into pro football with the Tennessee Titan, Los Angeles Rams and now the Jacksonville Jaguars.

 

“This is the first time since I’ve been a professional athlete that I have been able to return to Key West and begin my legacy of community outreach. It’s just the first of many community engagements we will be doing,” stated Sargent. “We have some big plans that we will be announcing soon, and I look forward to being able to get the entire community involved in our initiatives.”

The following day, Saturday, June 25, Sargent will make a guest appearance at the second annual Free Summer Football Camp from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. also at the George Mira Field, for ages 6 to 18.

The first 50 registered will receive a camp T-shirt, said organizer Miguel Gonzalez, who lined up a group of former Key West and collegiate players and local coaches to teach the players the finer points of football.

“I’ve got high school and HOB coaches and former players,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve got J.P. Garcia, Kentrell Freeman, Devin Barber, Jeremiah Osborne, Carson Hughes, Garett Hughes, Alvin Howard, Reid Grissinger, Dorian Cannon, and Mekhi will be there.”

For information about the second annual Key West Football Camp on Saturday, contact Gonzalez at 305-684-6727.

FROM CONCH TO TITAN: MEKHI SARGENT SHINES IN NFL

 

By Ralph Morrow

September 14, 2021

It was quite an accomplishment when Key West grad Mekhi Sargent made the 53-man Tennessee Titans cutdown squad on Aug. 31. He was to start the season Sunday, Sept. 12, as the Titans’ No. 3 running back against the Arizona Cardinals with Derrick Henry getting most of the carries. 

The NFL Network’s Good Morning Football crew also chose Sargent as one of three running backs — and the only non-drafted player — to make their “Rookie Risers” list. The other two were Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris and New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson. 

The Titans’ network page said Sargent was “easily the team’s best back during the exhibition slate.” 

The University of Iowa product got plenty of opportunity to show what he could do in the preseason and made good, gaining 51 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in the final game against the Chicago Bears. In two previous games, against Tampa Bay and Atlanta, the Conch gained 78 and 58 yards, respectively, both times on 16 carries. He caught a pass in each game. 

In the Bears game, CBS analyst Charles Jones “raved” about him, according to Alex Seats of 247Sports. 

In Sargent’s senior year at Key West High School, he rushed for 2,094 yards and 27 touchdowns, wrote Marc Morehouse for the Iowa Gazette in 2019. 

“This was a bit of a quest for (Key West football coach) John Hughes,” Morehouse wrote. “He pointed the way to Iowa Western. The Iowa Western coaches saw Sargent at a University of Florida football camp.”

“’My coach at Key West basically led my tour to go to juco,’ Sargent said in 2019. “I didn’t know anything about junior college. He said, ‘That’s an opportunity for you. I think you can go to juco and make the most of it and move forward.’ I took that route and I’m thankful.”

Sargent ended up redshirting his first season at Iowa Western. He didn’t even know you could do that at a junior college.

“My mom, Yolanda Gardner, kept me mentally stable,’ Sargent told Morehouse in 2019 in Iowa. “I just kept working hard, on the scout team and in the weight room. I’d just pay attention to the older guys and do the right things and my time came.”

“‘He put up 1,000 yards as a sophomore and just kept going from there,’ Hughes said. ‘He became kind of a household name throughout South Florida. There were coaches and teams that were just tired of playing him because he was such a physical force. He ran so hard. He was one of those heavy contact guys. You felt it when he hit you.’”

Titans' Mekhi Sargent gets some recognition from Good Morning Football

 

Mike Moraitis 

September 1, 2021 7:36 am ET

 

One of the Tennessee Titans’ rookies to steal the show during preseason play was running back Mekhi Sargent, who rightly received some recognition from the folks over at NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”

Sargent, a 2021 undrafted free agent signing, was easily the team’s best back during the exhibition slate, which earned him a spot on the initial 53-man roster on Tuesday.

On a list of “Rookie Risers” at the running back position, GMFB showed Sargent saw some love, placing him at No. 3 on the list. He was the only undrafted player to make the cut on any of the “Rookie Risers” lists.

The other backs joining him were Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick, Najee Harris, and New England Patriots fourth-round pick, Rhamondre Stevenson.

https://twitter.com/gmfb/status/1432670662250934272?s=20

It was a tough list to crack, but Titans cornerback Elijah Molden easily could have made the “Rookie Risers” list for defense, especially after posting an elite PFF grade among non-first-round defenders in the preseason.

Sargent finished the exhibition slate with 49 carries for 187 rushing yards, and three catches for 17 yards, while also finding the end zone twice, once through the air and once on the ground.

But it wasn’t just about raw production. Sargent passed the eye test with his hard-nosed running style, and while Tennessee’s other backs struggled to find room to run, he exploited every inch given to him.

Mekhi Sargent should be key piece of Titans RB committee

 

by Geoffrey Knox

 

Here’s as bold a statement as can be made. Normally, you won’t hear this about an undrafted rookie that entered Tennessee Titans training camp as the last man on the depth chart at his position, but if Mekhi Sargent doesn’t make Tennessee’s 53-man roster, there needs to be some sort of formal investigation.

Though it seems ridiculous to make any statement that suggests the Titans should give Derrick Henry the ball less often, the NFL’s best running back has carried the ball 782 times over the past two NFL seasons if you include what he’s done in the playoffs.

Memories of Eddie George and Chris Johnson always force a smile across one’s face, but their careers can also serve as cautionary tales. The running back position is the NFL’s most punishing, and if there’s any way to capitalize on Derrick Henry’s brilliance and keep him around longer, those options must be explored.

Tennessee’s got a franchise under their noses in the form of Mekhi Sargent. All they need do is take a whiff.

Mekhi Sargent can be the lightning to Derrick Henry’s thunder.

If three preseason games of Titans football didn’t teach us anything else, it should have been this. Finding help for Derrick Henry has been a topic of conversation around Nashville for a while, and we may now have an answer to the questions that have been asked.

You have to love what Jeremy McNichols did in the wake of injuries during the 2020 season. Darrynton Evans is talented, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Brian Hill, once seen as a favorite to earn a roster spot, hasn’t been able to gain any consistent traction.

Mekhi Sargent has been one of the nice surprises of this Titans training camp. He rarely goes down on first contact. He functions well as a receiver. It’s Sargent, not Evans, who looks like the best option to be the backup and complementary piece to Henry, and how great of an addition would that be?

Can you imagine how dominant the Titans would be if they had a well-rested and totally healthy version of Henry in January? Adding Mekhi Sargent to a potential committee of Titans running backs that includes Henry, Evans, and Khari Blasingame could be exactly what the doctor ordered. Again, if the Titans leave the undrafted rookie off of the 53-man roster, serious questions need to be asked about what this team is doing.

Tennessee Titans’ Preseason Week 2 player of the game: RB Mekhi Sargent

 

Shaun Calderon 

follow

August 21, 2021 10:55 pm ET

 

Player of the game: RB Mekhi Sargent

There were a lot of ways I could have gone with this one. Sam Ficken continues to look like the Titans’ kicker of the present and future. Matt Barkley took a giant step towards becoming a realistic QB2 option. And the Titans’ defense, in general, continues to pummel their opponents.

However, I’m going with someone who may not have been seriously considered for a roster spot at the start of camp but is now someone who no longer can be ignored.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1429246343655026696

For the second straight week, running back Mekhi Sargent led the team in rushing yards and seemed to be the only running back who could make up for the offensive line incompetence.

His ability to make plays despite his lackluster run blocking was evident throughout the game. Sargent led the way with 4.9 yards per run, for comparison, Jeremy McNichols averaged -1.8 yards per carry on the night.

Sargent has given himself a legitimate chance of playing himself into a roster spot.

These next two weeks will be crucial for him but if he continues to play like he did tonight, he undoubtedly will be pushing Darrynton Evans for that coveted RB2 spot.

Sargent finished the game with 16 carries for 78 yards and he also added one five-yard catch for a touchdown.

https://twitter.com/Titans/status/1429235461319532550

Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Winners Announced

 

6/30/2021 11:22:02 AM

Twenty-eight honorees named Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2020-21 academic year

2020-21 SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
 
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced on Wednesday the 28 honorees named Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2020-21 academic year. These standouts were chosen from a group of 350 students honored throughout the academic year who had displayed positive sportsmanship. 
 
One member of each varsity sports team on every campus was chosen by his or her institution as a Sportsmanship Award honoree, and two Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners were then selected from each institution. All of the Sportsmanship Award winners have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, these honorees must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. 
 
The 2020-21 Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winners appear below, and the complete list of Sportsmanship Award honorees for all sports from each school is attached as a PDF.
 
2020-21 Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Winners
 
ILLINOIS
Trent Frazier, Men’s Basketball
Mallory Mizuki, Women’s Gymnastics
 
INDIANA
Logan Targgart, Men’s Track & Field
Gabbi Jenkins, Softball
 
IOWA
Mekhi Sargent, Football
Kate Martin, Women’s Basketball
 
MARYLAND
Maxwell Costes, Baseball
Hope Lewandoski, Women’s Soccer
 
MICHIGAN
Austin Davis, Men's Basketball
Abby Brenner, Women’s Gymnastics
 
MICHIGAN STATE
James Piot, Men’s Golf
Brooke Bogan, Women’s Track & Field
 
MINNESOTA
Casey O’Brien, Football
Carlie Brandt, Softball
 
NEBRASKA
Michael Hoffer, Men’s Track & Field
Hayley Densberger, Volleyball
 
NORTHWESTERN
Jesse Brown, Football
Brooke Riley, Women’s Golf
 
OHIO STATE
Kyle Seelig, Men’s Tennis
Katie Trace, Women’s Swimming & Diving
 
PENN STATE
John Harrar, Men’s Basketball
Kerry Abello, Women’s Soccer
 
PURDUE
Trent Pellini, Men’s Swimming & Diving
Marissa Hornung, Volleyball
 
RUTGERS
Paul Mulcahy, Men's Basketball
Maya Jacobs, Women's Tennis
 
WISCONSIN 
Seth Hirsch, Men’s Cross Country
Tori Kost, Women’s Lightweight Rowing