By: Adam Freeman
Tucker Valley Middle’s long-awaited third annual football team camp returned to Camp Horseshoe, also known as Horseshoe Recreation Area, nestled along Horseshoe Run in the Monongahela National Forest, for a sun-soaked day of drills, games, laughter and growing camaraderie.
Nearly all of the Wildcats team, 19 out of 25 players, turned out this past Saturday for a jam-packed schedule combining football, fishing, swimming and sheer fun.
Camp Horseshoe, built in the late 1930s, roughly 11 miles northeast of Parsons, sits in the midst of Tucker County’s forested hills and historic facilities. Its large, mowed recreation field, log-built pavilions and designated creek swim area make it an ideal setting for both athletic drills and nature play.
This year’s camp began at 9 a.m. with head football coach Adam Freeman leading the team through skill session, drills, agility tests, passing progressions and individual position work. Coaches emphasized discipline, technique and, above all, connection.
After a lunch break under the pavilion, players rotated into afternoon rotation of 7-on-7 football games, wiffle ball home-run derby, relays races, fishing for trout and swimming in Horseshoe Run.
Assistant Coach Dylan Simmons reflected, “Seeing them cheer each other on, whether in the creek chasing trout or diving for a football, those are memories they’ll remember for life.” Coach Freeman echoed the sentiment: “It’s more than football; it’s about building a brotherhood; turning teammates into family.”
Despite six players missing due to vacation or summer commitments, the camp’s organizers described it as “another successful event”: teamwork thrived, leaders emerged, and the bond between the returning 19 was unmistakably stronger. Returning eighth grade players took ownership, calling signals, mentoring younger campers, encouraging reluctant fishermen and just all around making sure it was a positive environment.
As camp wound down with closing remarks and awards at 9 p.m., players and coaches formed a final circle. Under the pine canopy and fading sunlight, Coach Freeman charged his team “Go back home and practice that spirit you built today with your families and at school, let’s bring that onto the field.”
With practice officially kicking off Monday, August 11, Tucker Valley’s camp served as both a physical warm-up and a moral warm-up. Coach Freeman stressed, “If they learn to move as a unit, support one another, and compete together here, they’ll take that into games.”
As the Wildcats begin the 2025 season, the brotherhood forged at Camp Horseshoe stands ready.
