Faith and fellowship got an added dose of football on the grounds of Georgia Southern University on Tuesday and Wednesday.
    For the sixth year, the GSU arm of the Fellowship of Christian athletes hosted a football camp with this year setting a new record for attendance.
    Over 900 athletes from 16 schools poured into town for the two-day camp. Drills and friendly competition added to everyone’s preparation for the rapidly approaching season while off-the-field activities strengthened the spiritual bonds that the FCA seeks to build.
    “We had teams come in from all over the state,” camp director and FCA area director for Georgia Southern and the greater Statesboro area Boyd Green said. “It’s always an exciting time and we’re thrilled to have such a big turnout.”
    Green and fellow FCA directors orchestrated 7-on-7 passing drills amongst teams and were assisted by some local high school coaches in running a clinic for linemen. Plenty of time was also scheduled for the coaches of participating teams to conduct their own workouts with their players.
    When the pads come off, the players stayed hard at work in bettering themselves spiritually. Bible studies and worship sessions were held throughout both days and FCA directors shared the Gospel with all campers.
    In the end, Green hoped that everyone had taken a small step toward improving at football, but — more importantly — had continued on the path to becoming good men.
    “FCA is all about summer camps,” Green said. “Our theme is ‘A time for perspiration and inspiration. We preached relentlessness to the coaches and players. You want to be relentless and give it your all in football. The same goes with living your life and for being respectful to everyone you encounter.”
    Of course, any football action in Statesboro is bound to pique the interest of the resident Eagles. Green stated that it has become routine for Georgia Southern’s recruiting classes to feature several players who have participated in the FCA camp.
    “I think that we get the attention of the coaches at GSU,” Green said. “I call them sharks. They like to get in carts and circle our practices to see what kind of talent is out there.
    “It’s a great relationship for both sides. The coaches at GSU might pick up on a talented kid while all of our campers get to see what Georgia Southern has to offer while experiencing that football and fellowship.”
    Severe storms threw a wrench into the schedule Tuesday afternoon, but the vast majority of all planned activities were able to be completed by the end of camp Wednesday afternoon.
    Green credited all of the powers that be for ensuring that the largest installment yet of the FCA camp continued to be a hit with it’s participants.
    “We had to move around some facilities, but Georgia Southern did an outstanding job in accommodating us,” Green said. “God had a lot of faith in us, I guess. We got hit with all of that rain, but in the end, we only lost a couple of mini-games.”

    Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9404.