Football: Crespi opens camp with renewed vigor

For the next three nights, Crespi football players are sleeping in the school gym and spending their time getting into shape and working on fundamentals.

“This is fun,” second-year Coach Troy Thomas said. “I feel like we’re building something.”

A year ago, Thomas got the Celts into the Pac-5 Division playoffs even though he felt lots of players had a long ways to go toward believing in his mission to develop them as players and young men.

The attitude has changed. There’s better leadership and there’s still talent even though the varsity team is just 30 players strong.

Led by standout safety Marvell Tell and returning quarterback Wes Massett, the Celts will be very competitive in a tough Mission League.

They certainly were eating healthy on Thursday night. There was tilapia and protein balls, which comes from a special recipe supplied by Thomas’ wife, Stacie, and includes peanut butter and oatmeal.

Most startling was seeing a couple freshmen players go up to a freshman assistant coach, shake his hand and say, “Thank you” for coaching them.

That’s a sign Thomas’ message is getting across.

Twitter:@LATSondheimer