Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht's NIL-based camp in Perry puts "smiles on faces"
Becht — a Florida native — followed in his father, Anthony's, footsteps in leading a youth football camp and it gave his mom, DeeAnn, the best kind of "chills."
PERRY, Iowa — I came back from a six-day respite at our family’s cabin on Lower Cullen Lake in Nisswa, Minn., to cover a youth football camp last Saturday.
But not just any camp. This one, led by Iowa State’s Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year Rocco Becht, went deep in a way that transcended football.
The fact that Becht chose Perry as the site — an idea he came up with on his own — impressed me and many others.
Perry, as most are aware, was rocked up a deadly school shooting in January. It’s a tight-knit and cohesive community, but the collective trauma, understandly, runs deep and will take time to process and ease.
“Just like I tell people all the time, it’s a day-by-day process,” said Perry middle school principal Ned Menke, who is entering his 19th year as an educator — and all that time’s been spent in the small Central Iowa town. “Some days are up. Some days are back down. Events like this help us to be on the rise up. It will be a long process, but just knowing that people care, knowing that the state cares, these Iowa State football players care, really all of Central Iowa cares — that helps going through, like you mentioned, an unspeakable thing that took place here. As we continue to work ahead, we hope to someday be on the other hand, where we can go and help out some others, too.”
Giving begets giving. Healing comes in fits and starts. Nothing will ever be the same, but growth through tragedy can be a powerful countervailing force to despair and fear.
“(It) was the perfect place just because of what they’ve gone through this whole year,” said Becht, who also delivered a $7,500 check for Perry’s youth football program. “It’s devastating and I’m glad I was able to come out here and put on this camp for them. Being able to give that donation to them, it fills my soul.”
I wrote about the camp live for Cyclone Fanatic and the Cedar Rapids Gazette. You can like to those articles here and here.
The sum gleamed but didn’t scorch the field adjacent to the high school football stadium. Campers from the fifth through eight grade learned from Becht and a multitude of ISU’s stars, including wide receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, and defensive backs Beau Freyler and Jeremiah Cooper.
Noel, for one, said Becht’s leadership role with the team made it easy to want to help with the camp.
“Being here and helping the kids and just seeing them smile after what they’ve been through in this community, it’s been really important — and it’s always fun,” said Noel, a second-team All-Big 12 selection last season. “It (also) says a lot about Rocco’s leadership and how his word spreads throughout the team and what guys are willing to do for him. He does so much for us and he’s a team-first guy and for us to do something simple like this for him is the least we could do.”
Becht felt like he was doing the same for Perry, which also say Tyson shudder its pork processing plant less than three weeks before the camp was conducted.
“Put a smile on their face,” Becht said, after chants of ‘Rocco, Rocco, Rocco’ echoed all around him. “That was my ultimate goal.”
Mission accomplished.
“It gives me chills,” his mom, DeeAnn, said.
In a good way, of course.
Becht’s dad, Anthony, has led countless camps over the years. The former veteran NFL tight end and current head coach of the United Football League’s St. Louis Battle Hawks beamed with pride as he watched his son follow in his footsteps.
“To just have that awareness to think about, like, ‘Hey, I’m making some NIL money — how can I be better a what I’m doing?’” Anthony Becht said. “I think that’s great (and) it’s part of the reason Iowa State’s always been a great choice for him. The way (Cyclone head coach Matt) Campbell has always delivered on the man — developing the man; that’s a big reason why he’s here. It’s good for him. Giving back is important, regardless of if you’ve got money or not. Whether it’s time — there are so many people here with the (camp) shirts on that are donating their time just to be out here. It’s really remarkable, just the setup. I’ve been part of camps for 20 years and the way it’s been run and the sponsors that are involved, it’s nice to see people come together.”