HEATH – Tom Phillips’ first night on the Newark Catholic football team’s sideline still is more than three months away, but he circled May 7 on his calendar not long after he accepted the job as the school’s head coach.
NC participated in the Licking County college football showcase at Heath under not only the watchful eye of Phillips and his staff but also representatives from more than two dozen colleges across the region.
“It was a great day for us. We had 23 kids out, which is not bad when talking about the numbers, and that’s what we have to work on,” said Phillips, whose team opens the 2026 season at home against Huntington on Aug. 21.
“This is the first day of competition in a way. It’s like game day for us,” Phillips added. “Treat it like a game. Come out and compete.”
Compete was Heath coach Tim Ward’s word of the day, too. He started the combine a few years ago as an opportunity for top-rated players to show their skills, but the event quickly grew as most programs across Licking County now bring a large chunk of their returning players.
Each school decides what drills they use for their players, but those made popular at the NFL combine – 40-yard dash, 10-yard shuttle, three-cone – were standard. Most schools then end their session with position-specific drills.
“When we started it four or five years ago, I wasn’t sure if it would pick up or not, and it picked up quick. The fact we can capitalize off a lot of the Columbus schools who are showcasing this week also, anything we can do to give our guys a chance to get looked at is great,” Ward said. “I just tell our guys to compete and showcase who you want to be. No matter how you are performing are you a good teammate? Are you celebrating other kids’ successes? Are you working hard?”
Phillips is just one of four new coaches across Licking County. He will be joined by Licking Heights’ Ryan Sayers, Lakewood’s Jeremy Walpole and Northridge’s Dave Everson.
Sayers previously spent six seasons at Northland in Columbus. He said the energy already is flowing throughout his new program.
“We started morning workouts this spring and at times had more than 50 kids. There is a lot of excitement,” Sayers said. “It’s been really nice to transition to a place that is a one high school district where we can really feed into the community.”
Phillips was a championship coach at Bexley and Pickerington North before most recently spending time as an assistant at the college level at Youngstown State. He reminded his players the showcase could be the first step to developing a life-changing relationship.
“We have some good-looking kids. I’m excited,” Phillips said. “Our kids did well. I like the excitement. You see a lot of the team camaraderie.”
Granville hosted its 40-minute session, and coach Heath Hinton will be returning a hungry team with a mix of players who were thrown into the fire last fall and those champing at the bit to get an opportunity. The Blue Aces provided a small glimpse of what they hope is to come.
“It’s a cool process now. It’s a lot different than when I was growing up or 10 years ago when you were going to colleges to have this stuff,” Hinton said. “It’s a neat experience. It’s good for our seniors but also good for our younger guys to get a feel for what it’s like. We never want to wear our kids out, so we are still in the process of trying to get ready for our summer.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking County football players show skills in college combine
Reporting by Kurt Snyder, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
