AUBURN - Last summer, Auburn varsity football coach Dave Moskov brought the NFL's Junior Player Development program to young football players throughout Cayuga County. And the players responded.

The program was developed by the NFL as a means of promoting the game and helping players in developing skills and community spirit.

But to reach more football players of various ages, Moskov pushed for the High School Player Development program to come to Cayuga County. He got his wish, as the camp started up this week in Auburn for the first time.

“Last year with the J.P.D. we had a lot of success,” Moskov said. “The NFL has provided us with a great opportunity. They have these camps all over the country - Hawaii, Texas - you name it, they have these programs there. So when we saw the opportunity to have this (high school camp) here we thought it would be a great opportunity for our players.”

In its first year at the high school level, Moskov said he had more than 100 players, age 15 to 17, register from all over the county.

This is one of the more unique aspects of the program.

“Players form other schools are all here,” Moskov said. “That is great to see, there are no rivalries or any of those other things here. Here it is not about what school you play for or anything like that. Everybody is here to help each other out and learn about playing football, that is the great thing, that is what this is all about.”

Participants in the camp have an undeniable commitment to the game, one they were more than happy to spend a little extra time working on this summer.

“We're just dedicated to football,” Auburn's Ismail Brooks, 17, said. “This is a good way to get everybody back in shape for all of us to learn what we've got to do together as a unit and let's us spend a little time rebuilding,.”

The camp is designed to focus on fundamentals and skill development, as well as developing interpersonal skills, which crucial both on and off the field.

“The focus here is on team,” Moskov said. “We are focusing on fundamentals half the time, but we are also focusing on teamwork the other half of the time.”

Moskov believes that this is the perfect opportunity for football players in Cayuga County and the central New York region.

Three of the last four state championship teams have come from Section III and the sport is not only gaining interest in the area, but is also growing in quality across the board. These kinds of camps can help foster that.

“The interest shown has been tremendous,” Moskov said. “From modified to varsity, not just here in Auburn, but also at other schools. Section III football has really grown a lot in the last few years and that has been great to see.”

But getting players together in June, well ahead of when preseason training begins, has other advantages.

Veteran varsity players who will be stepping up this season as seniors and younger players who will be making the leap from the JV squads have had the opportunity to get together and get to know each other.

“This is a good way to see where our vets are,” Moskov said. “And to give us a chance to see how our younger players are doing and it gives us an idea of what we need to get done when we get together to start the season.”

This idea appealed to many of Moskov's players, such as like Matt Wild.

“This is really important for us,” Wild, 17, said. “This lets the coaches see us and gives them a little time to plan over the summer. This is important for building strength and getting everybody together so we can rebuild as a team and learning what we've got to do as a team.”

The Junior Player Development camp begins in July and there is still time to register for any student who attends school in Cayuga County.

For more information, contact Moskov at 255-3198