By Rich Winter

605 Sports

On Thursday, Aug. 24, the day before its home opener against Sioux Falls Christian, the Canton High School football field was inundated with elementary students running around and having the time of their lives. 

The kids work through offensive and defensive drills, aided by the assistance of the football team. After a team supper the players, coaches and 200 enthusiastic elementary students packed the Performing Arts Center for the premiere of the 2023 Canton hype video. 

“Every year we premiere the hype video for the players and the elementary students,” Canton assistant coach Matt David said. “This year the kids just went crazy and even our players and coaches were jumping up and down. It really just sends tingles down your spine.” 

Several years ago David attended a football event in Harrisburg where his kids go to school. That event spurned David’s imagination as to how he could implement some kind of tradition into Canton football. 

“My kids took part in something like this, an interactive thing,” David said. “After seeing it I brought this to our coaches and we started brainstorming how we could get our high school athletes to interact with our K-6 students.”

After the brainstorming session, “Pack The Nest” was born. 

“We sent out information a couple weeks prior to the start of the season,” David said. “This year we had 200 kids sign up to participate.”

 The freshman and sophomore classes stay with the K-2 age group, the juniors immerse themselves with the third and fourth graders and the seniors interact with the fifth and sixth graders.

The kids rotate through offensive and defensive drills and eventually get to eat supper with the team. 

“The kids absolutely love it and it is great for our players to interact with them and you just see kids and players grinning from ear to ear,” David said. 

Thursday is a big day for the kids participating in “Pack The Nest” but game day is also special for the youngsters. 

Smiles galore on opening night as Canton elementary students hit the field to help introduce the 2023 Canton football team - Photo courtesy of Bree Adam, Just one more moment photography

“Before every game we make a tunnel for the players to run through and the elementary students get on the field and are part of that tunnel,” David said. “After the starters go through the tunnel the non-starters peel off two-by-two and get to high five the kids on the way to the sideline.” 

The Canton community has been especially supportive of the event and the bigger meaning behind “Pack The Nest.” 

“We always talk to our varsity athletes being role models and that younger kids look up to them,” David said. “We always want to bring older and younger kids together and to get to see our football players enjoying this experience is pretty special.”