VALDOSTA —
A record 625 area kids turned out for the annual Valdosta State football Meet the Blazers event on Saturday morning at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
Between Friday’s Meet the Blazers event for soccer and volleyball and Saturday’s event, over 850 area youth participated in Meet the Blazers this year.
“It is great,” Junior safety Chris Caspari said. “Everybody is excited for the season to start. The kids, they just look up to us, and we are just doing our best to be role models out here and just have fun with them.”
Participants in this year’s event took part in various football drills run by the football players and they were able to run out onto the field like the Blazers do on game days. An autograph session with the team followed activities on the field. Every participant received a free T-shirt.
Nearly every drill during Saturday’s event involved tackling. Some of the participants skipped tackling on the dummies and took to tackling members of the team, like senior offensive lineman Edmund Kugbila.
“It is fun being out here with the little kids,” said the 6-foot-5, 347-pound offensive guard Kugbila. “It is all for them.”
Every drill finished with a dance, too.
“I usually just give the ball back to the referee,” Caspari said. “I just act like I’ve been there before, but if I had to choose a dance, I would do a little shoulder lean or something like that.”
The annual event allows Blazer fans, young and old, to get an up close and personal look with the team and interact with the players they watch on the field.
The Blazers open their season next Saturday, when they visit Saginaw Valley. The game will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Due to the length of the trip, the Blazers will fly out of Valdosta on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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Related Photos
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Offensive lineman Edmund Kugbila is swarmed by a dozen participants at Saturday’s Meet the Blazers event at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in Valdosta. The Blazers open their season next Saturday at Saginaw Valley State in Michigan. Ed Hooper | The Valdosta Daily Times
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Valdosta State quarterbacks Kaleb Nobles (far left) and Cayden Cochran (middle) sign autographs during Saturday’s Meet the Blazers event at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. Ed Hooper | The Valdosta Daily Times
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Alex Webster (14), Chris Caspari (3), Theseus Jackson (28) and Edmund Kugblia (70) lead a large group of participants onto the field during Saturday’s event. Ed Hooper | The Valdosta Daily Times
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Azerion McEanien tackles a dummy during Saturday’s Meet the Blazers event. Ed Hooper | The Valdosta Daily Times
Discussion
Meet the Blazers
Record turnout for annual meet-and-greet with team
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