GREENVILLE – The Greenville football program under the direction of head varsity football coach Bart Schmitz completed a three day junior high football camp at the school’s Harmon Field facilities.
“It was a great camp,” said Schmitz. “A good time, a little hot weather, the kids are getting adjusted to that a little bit.”
“Very pleased with the amount of kids that showed up,” Schmitz added. “I think they learned a lot.”
The Green Wave coaching staff took time to give hands on instructions to the seventh and eighth graders.
“We were teaching them the basic fundamentals,” Schmitz noted. “How to get in the stance, how to fire out of their stance, how to catch a football, how to throw a football, just the basic fundamentals because the game boils down to – you have to be able to block people and you have to be able to tackle people. It doesn’t matter what play you call, if they don’t know how to do those two things it doesn’t matter.”
Coach Bart Schmitz is a Versailles graduate and former Tigers football player under the leadership of legendary Versailles football coach Al Hetrick.
Hetrick served 38 seasons as the head coach at Versailles resulting in a 334-95-4 record, six state championships, three runner-up titles, 33 winning seasons, sixteen playoff appearances (seven consecutive), thirteen regional titles (five consecutive).
Two new Greenville coaches were instructing at the three day junior high camp for first year Green Wave head football coach Bart Schmitz.
“They are doing a great job,” said Coach Schmitz. “We have Cody McKenzie, he’s young, energetic, brings a lot to the table and obviously we have Dave Schmitz who brings a tremendous amount of knowledge to the game and to our staff that’s invaluable.”
Coach McKenzie played offensive and defensive line for the Vandalia-Butler Aviators and went on to play defensive tackle at Muskingum University where he was a teammate and best friend of GHS graduate Stetson Zumbrun at Muskingum.
“I am really excited and happy to be here,” said McKenzie.
Greenville assistant coach Dave Schmitz, Bart’s father was a longtime assistant football coach for Coach Al Hetrick at Versailles and went on to coach Sidney Lehman. Coach Schmitz brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Greenville football program.
“I have a lot of good memories from that time I coached with my dad at Lehman and now he’s coaching for me here,” said Bart Schmitz. “It’s extremely special and it’s a privilege to coach with your father and just the amount of time that you get to spend together.”
Coach Schmitz and his staff believe in a program built around doing the little things right and strong discipline.”
“We pride ourselves in doing the little things right,” said Schmitz. “Once you master the little things then the big things take care of themselves whether it’s running to the huddle, breaking the huddle correctly or handing the ball back to the official. How we handle ourselves is an integral part of what we’re doing because if you do the little the big things the little things will take care of themselves.”