Last week, Gridiron Football had its second to last camp of the 2025 offseason at the Beauregard Parish Covered Arena in the city of DeRidder, which also happens to be the home of Gridiron Football CEO Andy Bryson.
It was also the first time ever that a Gridiron Football camp occurred indoors, which can make all the difference in the world when dealing with the always tough Louisiana heat.
Before the camp even started, the players got the opportunity to get interviewed by the Gridiron Football staff and also got some words of advice from the likes of not only Bryson, but former Louisiana Christian and current Pineville High School head coach Justin Charles, who helped work the camp.
Also, two former Gridiron Football All-Americans James Lucas IV and Jatari Harris also assisted in the camp while in the process giving the players some words of wisdom.
This camp would be a good warmup for the players as everybody that participated was also invited to take part in the last camp of the offseason at Louisiana Christian University later that week.
Running on an indoor tarp surface proved to be a challenge for the athletes that were used to running on grass, but there were a couple of players that immediately made the adjustment.
For the 40 yard dash, 9 players were able to run under the 5 second zone led by DeRidder High School 2026 RB/QB Connor Rushford (4.66). Right behind him were DeRidder High School 2027 WR/DB Jayden Merriwether (4.75), DeRidder High School 2026 S Zaden Scott (4.81), DeRidder High School 2027 DL Paxton Romine (4.84), LCA 2028 QB Ty Hills (4.9), East Beauregard 2027 LB Drew Fontenot (4.91), DeRidder High School 2027 WR/DB Ayren Woods (4.91), DeRidder High School 2029 WR Micah Mason (4.97), DeRidder High School 2026 DE Amari Willis (4.97).
8 players were able to accomplish the same feat, but this time for the shuttle led by DeRidder High School 2027 WR/DB Ayren Woods (4.69). Newton High School 2029 DB Bentley Eddings (4.72), DeRidder High School 2026 RB/QB Connor Rushford (4.75), East Beauregard 2027 LB Drew Fontenot (4.81), DeRidder High School 2026 DE Amari Willis (4.85), DeRidder Junior High RB Bryce Mason (4.97), DeRidder High School 2027 WR/DB Jayden Merriwether (4.97) all ran under the 5’s.
The last part of the combine is the broad jump with DeRidder High School 2027 WR/DB Jayden Merriwether being the only player to jump over 9 feet with a 9’4 jump. 10 players jumped over 8 feet including DeRidder High School 2027 DL Paxton Romine (8’11), East Beauregard 2027 LB Cooper Hildreth (8’9), DeRidder High School 2026 DE Amari Willis(8’8), DeRidder High School 2027 WR/DB Ayren Woods (8’7), Rosepine High School 2029 TE/LB Levi Kennedy (8’7), DeRidder High School 2027 S Zaden Scott (8’6), DeRidder High School 2026 RB/QB Connor Rushford (8’6), DeRidder High School 2028 Kamryn Jackson (8’6), DeRidder Junior High School 2030 RB Bryce Mason (8’3), and DeRidder High School 2029 WR Micah Mason (8’1).
After a couple of cone and footwork drills, everybody got the chance to compete. During 1v1s, DeRidder High School 2027 WR/DB Jayden Merriwether made an acrobatic catch to get things started. East Beauregard 2027 LB Cooper Hildreth made a nice play on defense by getting his hand up in the air and deflecting a pass for a PBU. Tioga Junior High 2030 QB/WR Kaiden Black ran a nice short route to create some separation from a defender. LCA 2028 QB Ty Hills and DeRidder High School 2027 WR/DB Ayren Woods showed pretty good chemistry on a connection. Merriwether made another highlight reel play by making a bobbling interception on defense. Finally, Ty Hills hit Rosepine High School 2027 H-Back/LB Carson Broussard for a score.
The offensive and defensive linemen got to work with Louisiana Christian defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Eric Morris before finishing the camp off with the ever popular tire pull challenge, which even had lead beat writer Jace LeJeune participating in the action at the end.
The lighthearted fun ended with the awards ceremony as three more players earned invites to play in the 2025 Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game. Those three players all represent the DeRidder Dragons in RB/QB Connor Rushford, DE Amari Willis, and DL JaRon Jackson.
The coaches also recognized three underclassmen for top performers in LCA 2028 QB Ty Hills, DeRidder High School 2027 DL Paxton Romine, and East Beauregard 2027 LB Cooper Hildreth.
Gridiron Football also got a special surprise with a visit from the mayor of DeRidder Michael Harris, who fully supported Gridiron’s mission and was a big part in getting the camp set up. The new mayor knows exactly what Gridiron Football is all about as he got to experience it firsthand with his son Jatari Harris, who played in the Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game last season.
“I’ve seen what Gridiron Football has done in the past. Y’all teach leadership, integrity, community, teamwork, and I am just happy that y’all accepted the invitation to be a part of this.”
DeRidder Mayor Michael Harris
We cannot thank the mayor and the city of DeRidder enough for allowing us to host another camp this offseason and cannot wait for the next time we put a camp in the area!
Check out all of the interviews from the DeRidder camp below!
Check out the competition and highlights from the DeRidder camp!
Check out the photos taken at the camp by Alex Allison!
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