A Look Back at 2013

We set our goals high for 2013, and it turned out to be an incredibly busy and successful year for the Sanford Power-Riggs Premier Football Academy. We celebrated our grand opening first year anniversary in September, 2013, and the year was filled with great stories, performances, and accomplishments. Some of the highlights of 2013:

Dale Moss was one of the first athletes to train with us, and he now coaches wide receivers at the Academy and signed on to offer an annual WR Clinic for area athletes. We hosted the clinic in March, and had 200 athletes from 3rd grade-college attend. It was a tremendous success, and we are looking forward to Coach Moss' continued involvement with our training sessions and his clinic.




During 2013, we assembled a top-notch group of coaches at every position, and put together a Think Football program to offer 12 camps, clinics and 7 on 7 tourneys to area athletes during the traditional off season. By bringing together excellent coaching, the state-of-the-art Fieldhouse, and a variety of training options for area athletes, we believe we have started to change the culture of football in SD. We saw over 800 athletes take advantage of our training options in 2013, and it was exciting to see so many kids working hard to learn and improve their skills!


We also teamed up with SD Junior Football to offer the first ever full-contact camp for kids in the area and to help bring Heads Up Football and a 'better, safer game' to young athletes. Over 250 kids participated in the SD Junior Football Camp, and our coaches worked extensively with athletes and their coaches throughout the summer and fall to ensure proper training in football fundamentals.

The 7 on 7 format has been widely utilized in other states to develop individual skills and a team's passing game, but it hadn't been used in this area. We ran a series of competitive tournaments in 2013 for elementary, middle, and high school athletes, and also developed our Premier Passing program, a non-competitive, skill-building program for area high school athletes. All four of the semi-finalist teams in this year's 11AAA tournament participated in the Premier Passing program, and we hope to build on that success in 2014.

One of the values we have tried very hard to instill in our athletes is a focus not just on physical skills, but on sportsmanship, and being part of the greater community. To help emphasize the importance of that, our coaches, athletes, and families came together and ran as a team in the Susan G. Komen SD Race for the Cure in September. It was a tremendous experience to be part of this community event, and we intend to field a team every year! Our team members had a great time, and we will be continuing our focus on sportsmanship and community involvement in 2014.

2013 also saw further development of the Sanford Sports Complex and emphasis on providing big league opportunities to area athletes. We were able to have over 100 of our athletes meet several Minnesota Vikings players in October, and the Pentagon's opening has brought big events and additional focus on Sanford's sports medicine program. I feel very fortunate to be partnered with Sanford with their clear commitment to providing quality programs, facilities, and opportunities for area athletes.

Over the past year, we have built great relationships with the athletes and families who are part of the Academy, and I feel extremely lucky to have surrounded myself with top caliber people in every facet of the program. The Academy is enjoying tremendous success because of the people who are involved at every level, and 2013 demonstrated how fortunate we are to have deeply committed staff and families working together.

What will we do to build on the successes of 2013? We will be offering another series of camps, clinics, and 7 on 7 tourneys in 2014, along with our Premier Passing program and a Recruiting Combine in May. We are partnering with Special Olympics SD to bring 'All Champs Camp' to area athletes and allow athletes with and without disabilities to share their love of football. We will be expanding our camp offerings in the area, and we will continue to provide the best coaches, the best facility, and the best training options for area athletes.

Stay tuned for another exciting year, and we hope you will join us at the Fieldhouse in 2014!

The Benefits of In-Season Training

As practices and games get going for the 2013 season, one of the questions I am frequently asked is whether I think in-season training is beneficial for athletes. There are mixed opinions on the issue, but I strongly believe that athletes can benefit and improve their performance by continuing football training during their season. I recognize the challenges of finding time during the grueling fall schedule, but with focused effort and minimal time commitment, athletes can really hone their performance. At Riggs Premier Football, we have specifically designed some training options for athletes this fall to meet what I believe are athletes’ prime needs during the season, and I want to give some insight into why we chose to offer these options.

Fall is the best season of the year! I love hearing the whistles blow, the team chants and the excitement of football practice kicking off, and as a coach, I truly love practice. It is always exciting to know that the team has a chance to step onto a field, focus and work, and become better through their efforts. Most people involved in sports love participating in games, but I have always enjoyed the practice aspect of athletics. But just as practice can help prepare a team, it can sometimes set back an individual player. Practice times are limited and coaches have to figure out where to cut drills and times to condense all of a team’s performance aspects into their practice. Many times, the “individual” component is cut out and athletes will not get specific focus on their personal performance. In-season training is designed for this purpose.


Athletes work very hard during the off season to build strength, speed and skills, and in-season workouts can still be utilized to maintain the individual skills that were developed during the off season and to continue to enhance performance. The rigors of repeated practice, film, and games don’t leave athletes much time to tweak their game technique, so working with a coach who can observe their game and help with key performance adjustments offers a definite advantage during the season. Specific focus on fundamentals and key position skills can be very beneficial for athletes and can help minimize the risk of injuries. Athletes who pursue in-season training can also take advantage of extra “eyes” for film study to further enhance their understanding of the game and their contributions on the field. With even half an hour to an hour per week of training, athletes will be able to maintain their off-season gains, discuss and tweak their individual performance, and regain focus on position fundamentals.

Another aspect of the season that is challenging for young teams, particularly, is the inability to focus and develop a team’s passing technique. The full 11-man format limits the ability to pass the ball, so that skill often doesn’t get the attention it needs. Consistent pressure in a QB’s face prevents an offense from being able to open things up and get the ball to their skill position players downfield. A lack of practice time also makes it difficult for an offense to expand its schemes of attacking defenses downfield. We are offering a 7 on 7 Tournament on August 31st to allow teams to develop their offenses to work timing to stretch the field, and to allow a QB to develop confidence in his throwing without having defenders in his face. Teams can use the 7 on 7 in place of a regular practice, and the tournament format is fun and competitive.

Options are definitely available for athletes who think they need extra focus or training during the busy season. I hope that everyone is off to a great start with the 2013 season, and I hope you will join us for some of these training opportunities!

Work Those Skills! The Advantages of the 7 on 7 for Athletic Development

One of the most important concepts that coaches preach to their players is "maximum repetition." With limited practice time, coaches need their players to get as many reps as possible in a short amount of time. A regular football practice is often limited in the number of reps that skill players can get, and teams wanting to hone their skills in the off-season have found very few available options.

Those limitations resulted in the creation of  7 on 7 passing leagues. In a 7 on 7, we take away the Offensive/Defensive Linemen and allow the skilled positions to work on refining the passing game without the physical contact and pounding up front. QB's and WR's are given the opportunity to get the many extra reps that are not possible in a short practice. DB's and LB's are able to work their pass drops and strengthen their communication as they learn to improve their coverages.  It is a tremendous format for individual athletes to hone their skill sets and for teams to work together to enhance their technique and passing game.

The 7 on 7 leagues have been a big deal in the South and other parts of the country, both from the standpoint of improving athletic skill and giving recruiters the ability to see "best of" skilled positions playing at the same time.  In our area, 7 on 7's have been attempted in the past, but without an available year-round facility to house the competition, no one has ever been able to make it work long term.  The Sanford Fieldhouse changes that, and Riggs Premier Football is inviting athletes of all ages to get involved in these fun and competitive events this summer.

There are several options available for area athletes:

1)  Elementary/Middle School Tournaments - We have tourneys coming up on May 24th and July 19-20.  These tournaments give young athletes a chance to excel at the parts of the game that are difficult to duplicate in the regular season setting.  Offensive/Defensive linemen have the edge at this age, so the 7 on 7 format allows athletes to develop their position skills and complete plays to the satisfaction of a coach.

2)  High School Tournaments - We are hosting the 1st Annual Rise Above the Region Tournament on June 1-2, and a tournament for local athletes on July 19-20.  For the June tournament, there are over 400 invited coaches from the five-state area.  It will be a great opportunity to see how athletes and teams match up against each other in the region and for athletes to experience many different offensive/defensive looks.  The July tournament will allow athletes to fine tune their timing and continue to refine their skills before the regular season begins in August.

3)  Premier Passing - We are inviting area teams to bring players to the Fieldhouse on Sunday evenings now through July for a controlled 7 on 7 experience.  This is not a competitive tournament setup, but rather a chance for players to work their individual skills in the fast-paced 7 on 7 style under the direction of RPF coaches.  Athletes will develop their speed, agility and timing through the one-on-one play this format allows.  The focus of Premier Passing is on fine tuning the athletes' passing, catching, and defensive skills, and it presents a great opportunity for players and teams to improve their football aptitude in the off-season.

All of the 7 on 7 options are non-contact.  If individual athletes are interested, let us know and we can put together teams.  If a tournament team doesn't have a coach, let us know and we will provide one.  Athletes in the area have never before had the opportunity to focus on this level of skill development and competition in the off-season. We are looking forward to working with athletes and teams to build a consistent and successful 7 on 7 tradition in South Dakota! 

2012: A Year in Review

Chicago Bears WR Dale Moss

When the ball dropped on 2011, I'm not sure I had any idea how different things would be one year later. This year saw the launch of Riggs Premier Football and the creation of the Sanford POWER Football Academy. It has been a challenging and rewarding venture, and it is fun to look back at how far we have come!

I have been asked frequently over the years to train football players, and the demand for off season training is at an all time high. Watching my son play youth football convinced me I could contribute to instilling fundamentals for young athletes and find opportunities to work with higher caliber athletes as well.

When we launched the program in July, the Fieldhouse was still under construction, so we started trainings at the USF Sports Complex in the intense summer heat. We started off with five clients and also had a unique opportunity to work with Dale Moss right before he headed to the NFL. It was really awesome to see how the training could benefit athletes who were 8 years old all the way up to the pros! 

Will and Coach Sanders

The Fieldhouse opened on September 4th, and after training during the very hot summer, that was a welcome event! The Fieldhouse is a remarkable facility, and it is great to have a partner like Sanford that shares common goals for local athletes and develops the facilities to back up those goals. The Fieldhouse is essentially a NFL training facility and gives our athletes the very best opportunities in this area to train.

We hosted a community Grand Opening event at the Fieldhouse for around 200 kids in late September, spent a lot of time talking with parents and athletes at FCA and Junior Football games, and basically started telling people what the Sanford POWER Football Academy offers. Our client numbers continue to grow, we have fine tuned our program offerings to meet client needs, and we just hosted a first of its kind Holiday Camp event this past week. We brought in 150 athletes, ages third grade through high school, and ran two days of camps and passing tournaments. It was really tremendous to see so many young athletes coming in to compete and work their craft in the winter months! 

BVHS and LHS in 7 on 7 Holiday Passing Tourney

As I reflect on 2012, I have been very fortunate to have surrounded myself with talented people. This is not something I can do alone, and I have excellent coaches and assistants who are key to delivering the very best product to our clients. It is also a privilege to work with athletes who are very committed to getting better, and families who share a passion for football and want their kids to learn the "right way" to play 

the game. When we combine all those qualities, we are seeing great results all the way around!

So what does 2013 have in store? We will be continuing our 7 on 7 competitions, we will be hosting both full contact and non-contact camps this summer, we hope to develop satellite workouts in the area, and of course, we will maximize our individual and small group trainings at the Fieldhouse.

Thanks to all who have been part of the 2012 journey. We look forward to even better things in 2013!