WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Almost 20 years have passed since Lafayette High went from underrated to the state championship game. On Thursday, it was a family reunion for the team that would reel off 13 straight wins during that historic season.
Rian Thompson, a former Lafayette High & Hampton U running back coaches kids.
For the second straight year, the James City County All-Star Camp saw more than 100 kids get coached on football fundamentals by former Rams and area high coaches.
The emphasis of the camp wasn't just about x's and o's, but more about molding the next wave of peninsula student-athletes with good character. On the front of the counselors shirts read "Where Character Matters".
"It's all about leadership," said former Rams running back Rian Thompson. "It's about loyalty, respect, honor, and self-service." Thompson went on to star at Hampton University after graduating from Lafayette.
Kids play 7-on-7 during the All-Star Camp.
Thompson's left the Hampton Roads area, but still finds a way back home to make an impact with his former teammates still in the locale. Former Rams running back P.J. Piggott and linebacker Reneldo Randall are active in the Williamsburg community and were eager to team up like the old days.
"It was always an honor for us to come back and really just give back to the youth and do camps like this," said Piggott. "The main thing is to just teach them fundamentals of life."
Randall, who works with Piggott in the community echoed the same sentiments. "When we were coming up we had coaches and players giving back to us," said Randall. "This sport, and for people giving back, that's probably a large reason why most of us made it to the levels of success we're at."
