For the 11th straight year, football came to the Humboldt area for a weekend, as the Kelly Bates Football Camp took place.

Conditions lined up for a great weekend of action on the gridiron, and with some improvements made to the camp this year, Bates says that it ranks as number one.

"We try to put a product on the field that is an improvement over the last year. That's always the goal from the get go," he noted. "I truly do believe that when we walked away from the camp this year, it was the best one yet, and I'm very proud of that."

Among the additions for the 2016 version of the camp was more filming, which ranged from individual group warm-ups, to one-on-ones, contact drills, and a final scrimmage.

A crew of referees were appointed for the senior scrimmage. Bates feels that the extra additions to the camp was reflected in comments he heard following the camp.

"We had a more professional atmosphere, and the kids noticed it," he explained. "The feedback that I got from a majority of them, especially right after the camp and with parents has been nothing but positive, and I felt that it added to the environment and it did make it better."

The camp involves on-field instruction, as well as classroom review, allowing the players to constantly be learning throughout the two-day event.

At the conclusion of the camp, Bates and his coaching staff get together to discuss award winners for the top senior and top junior players at each position.

"I instruct all my coaches to coach effort first. We are always going to coach effort first and technique second. What that says, is, we're looking for kids that - regardless of whatever their skill level is - they're going to work their butts off, they're going to be very coachable, and boy, we had a lot of kids like that this weekend."

Kelly Bates, an alumni of HCI, with the current Mohawks who attended the camp.

Three members of the HCI Mohawks scooped up awards. Jordan Seipp was named senior defensive lineman, Ethan Paslowski was the top senior offensive lineman, and Dalton Kennedy was awarded junior defensive lineman.

"It's an honour to be singled out as the best one there," said Seipp.

"Winning the award was a big goal of mine going into the camp, and it was a good sense of accomplishment to win the award," Paslowski noted.

"It's very exciting for me, winning that junior defensive lineman. This is the second time I have gone as a defensive lineman, so it was good," Kennedy remarked.

Another award was added for 2016, with extremely difficult circumstances. 

Last year, three players from Carrot River were tragically killed in a car accident going home from the camp.

"It's been an ongoing process of trying to be there for the people that were most affected by this tragedy," Bates stated.

With the three players - Justin Gaja, Kristian Skalicky and Carter Stevenson - forever etched in memory at the camp, Bates and Cory Schmaltz, Carrot River's head coach, teamed up to present a new award.

"This was an idea we came up with to be able to honour those three men and really create a positive example at the camp in terms of showing people that football is so much more than just a game," said Bates. "It's about the type of people we're trying to give the opportunity to create."

Bates added that the new award goes well beyond on-field performance.

"It is called the camp MVP award. It's not the Most Valuable Player, it's the Most Valuable Person. You're looking for that kid who lifts the people around him up and goes out of his way to make them better. We felt this was a great way to honour those three young men from Carrot River."

With more players than ever before transitioning to the game of football, Bates believes that the camp has helped allow for attendees to see plenty of room for growth in the sport.

"I think it definitely provides an outstanding example for the men that attend the camp," he stated. "I also believe that bringing people like that in that have seen football at the highest level also creates some possibility for professional development from the coaching standpoint."

Seipp says the camp has allowed him to see that growth as a player.

"It has definitely helped. Coming in, in grade 9, you don't really know what you're doing. Every year it's just constant development, always getting better."

Some players have used the camp as a tool to engage in the sport for the first time, and Paslowski noted that it is a great camp for learning the game.

"It really helps all the kids who have never played football before, who are coming into this as their first competitive camp. Hopefully it makes them have fun careers in high school."

Both Seipp and Paslowski have attended the camp each year since grade 9, and are set to play out their final high school season in the fall.

Kennedy, who is coming off his third year at the camp, was one of those players new to the game who used the camp as a way of introducing himself to football.

"Going there in grade 8 was kind of scary for me, being that the first time I have ever worn full equipment. I have obviously changed a lot now, being a defensive lineman now. It's helped me a lot with fundamentals and learning how to play the game."

Bates concluded his thoughts on the camp by giving thanks to the volunteers who helped prepare the field and film the camp, as well as the coaches who came to instill their knowledge on the players.

"In order to see this game grow, you need to give back. Guys like that who take a weekend away from their family and come out to Humboldt and out to Muenster to do that, they show that they truly do love the game and I think that is inspiring for the people that attend the camp."

As for whether a 12th Kelly Bates Football Camp is on the way, Bates said that indeed, there will be.

"You know what, as long as people keep showing up, we're going to keep doing it. I look forward to next year and now we're going to have to see if we can find a way to top what we did this year."

You can hear interviews with Bates as well as Seipp, Paslowski and Kennedy below.