Card games, hiking on Arizona State football team’s agenda at Camp Tontozona

Sophomore cornerback Keith Abney didn’t know what to expect when he traveled with his Arizona State football teammates to Camp Tontozona for the first time last year. He had heard about the cabins and the uncomfortable bunks, but he wasn’t sure how much of the feedback was true and what was embellished by teammates.

But Abney, a native of Dallas, Texas, appreciated the time he had to bond with his teammates with the hike up to the top of Mount Kush proving particularly memorable.

“I still have videos I took on my phone,” he said after the Sun Devils wrapped up practice earlier this week. “I hadn’t seen anything like that. They don’t have mountains in Texas. Well they might, but not where I’m from.”

The football team is back at Camp T. The Sun Devils arrived on Tuesday, departing shortly after a two-hour practice at Mountain America Stadium. They will have the first of four workouts on Wednesday. The activities will be capped off by a scrimmage on Saturday that is open to the public.

It’s been 60 years since the coaches and players started making the annual trek to the pine tree-laden community, 18 miles northeast of Payson.

Last season, ASU visited for three days — one day less than this season. The team has been to Camp T the last two years but the 2020 and 2021 visits were canceled due to COVID-19. The 2019 squad didn’t make the trip because the facility was being renovated.

“It’s more just the legends that get told, I think are awesome to hear,” coach Kenny Dillingham said. “It’s just climbing the mountain with the guys and laughing. Last year we climbed the mountain and I remember Keith Abney is up there with Sip (Kyson Brown) and they’re like on the top of this mountain and looking around and he says, `I’ve never seen anything like that.’ Well, he’s from Texas. They don’t see that. They don’t climb a…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/card-games-hiking-arizona-state-204130203.html

Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic

Publish date : 2024-08-06 20:41:30

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