Dozens of current and future members of the Troy High School football team met last week for a five-day intensive football camp in preparation for the upcoming football season.

About 70 players attended the Troy Recreation Department camp, representing about half of the 130-player football program at Troy High School. The camp also ran at Athens High School last week.

"We think we have a real nice team," coach Gary Griffith said Friday during the players' last day of camp. "We're getting stronger."

Griffith said he believes the skill level of the players who attended last week's camp has increased since last year.

"We think we're going to be much more competitive this year," he said. "We have a strong group of kids coming back."

Assistant coach Duane Losey said the purpose of the camp is to begin assessing players' skill level and placing them in the best possible position early into the season.

"This is a way of figuring out what the kids can do," Losey said. 

Losey agreed with Griffith that this year's team has great potential. "So far, we feel like we're much faster than last year," Losey said.

The football season officially begins Aug. 6 statewide. Troy High School's first game is at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 at home against Romeo High School.