Happy camper : Fayetteville’s Berna jumps at chance to work with future UA coaches

BY BRANDON MARCELLO Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Sunday, July 20, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/nwat/67306/

Almost every coach on the Class 7 A level knows about Fayetteville High’s left tackle. And Arkansas’ coaches are well-acclimated.

Colby Berna, offensive left tackle of the Class 7 A defending state champions, committed to the Razorbacks in February and talks almost every week to his future position coach, Mike Summers. So when the opportunity came for Berna to attend the Razorback Seniors-Only Football Camp, he jumped at the rare opportunity to receive on-the-field guidance.

“ You can’t get anything better than this, ” Berna said. “ I couldn’t miss an opportunity to come out here and get more work with Coach Summers and all the coaches out here. I’ll be one step ahead of everyone else with the relationship to coaches. ”

Berna was one of 200 or more high school seniors at the one-day practice session that split participants with Razorback position coaches. Players worked out at the Walker Indoor Pavilion and the two practice fields adjacent to Reynolds Razorback Stadium Saturday. The high school players underwent practices that were not too different from the Hogs ’ heated and fast-paced spring practices.

Coaches yelled, congratulated and pushed the players. Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson yelled at every player who didn’t finish a play and gave several kudos to cornerbacks who punched a ball or covered at a correct angle.

Berna, however, was one of the few players who went without contact at the camp because of an injured shoulder. The Bulldog dislocated his left shoulder at Arkansas’ first high school camp of the summer in June. He recently went back to lifting arm weights and plans to be full strength when the Bulldogs start full-pad practices on Aug. 7. Fayetteville coaches also ordered him a special set of shoulder pads with a brace built in.

Teammate Max Mulherin, who will man the right tackle spot, also attended the camp to get some attention from scouts who attended Saturday.

“ No one has really looked at me and I knew this would be a chance for me, ” Mulherin said.

Mulherin has taken a few academic visits to colleges such as Tulsa and will start this year for Fayetteville on the offensive line opposite of Berna.

“ He’s a beast, ” Mulherin said. “ He’s a shadow. He’s so big, his shadow still comes to my side. ”

Berna still thinks he has plenty to work on.

“ Weights, ” Berna said. “ That’s what every coach says. You can’t be too strong, especially in the SEC. ”