Youth football program puts ‘fun’ in fundamentals

RANDOLPH – It took a while to get the ball rolling, but now in its sixth year, Randolph’s youth football program is hitting its stride.

The youth football program – led by Denton Kuhl, Bryce Reimers, Joe Wortman, Corby Robinson, Justin Koehler and Beau Simpson – is 31 players strong for the 2023 season.

Of those 31 signed on to play, 13 are from Osmond and two are from Norfolk with a team made up of sixth-graders and the other a fourth- and fifth-grade team combined.

“The first couple years, numbers were low, around 10 to 14 kids; now we’re up,” Kuhl said, adding that participation has grown and players have continued to stick with the program into their sixth-grade year.

“From third to sixth grade, it is fun to see the improvements and how they learn and develop and get comfortable with their position and the game.”

Kuhl said he has three goals for the upcoming season. “First is to have fun,” he said. “The second is to play as a team and to communicate. The third is to continually improve over the season.”

Practice started Aug. 3 as the teams prep for the first games on Sept. 10. Thanks to sponsors and donors, the teams are playing with new uniforms and new equipment this season, Kuhl said.