Staff photo / Greg Macafee. Harding’s Ryan Powell participates in the bag drill during the Raiders’ college showcase Wednesday evening at Mollenkopf Stadium.

WARREN — For high school athletes looking to play football at the next level, any opportunity to showcase their talents in front of college coaches is a big one.

Just to get that chance a lot of kids will travel to camps or showcases in order to compete in front of coaches, but rather than have his kids travel to the coaches, Warren G. Harding football coach Steve Arnold has brought the coaches to his players.

Over the past eight or nine years, Arnold and the Raiders have invited football coaches from all over for a college showcase at Mollenkopf Stadium. It came with a little twist this year though as Austintown Fitch, Walsh Jesuit and Archbishop Hoban, along with Harding, all held showcases on the same day in order to give college scouts ample opportunity to see athletes at all four schools.

“We (he and Fitch coach TJ Parker) saw each other and he asked if we could do something together this offseason for our pro day,” Arnold said. “So he talked to Hoban and Walsh and we ended up doing a Zoom meeting. So I told them what I had done in the past and how beneficial it was. I said, ‘You guys cater to how you guys want to do it, but this is how we do it.’ Then we promoted it together, and it worked out well.”

Walsh Jesuit held its showcase at 6 a.m. Wednesday, while Archbishop Hoban went at 8 a.m. and Austintown Fitch went at 1 p.m.

When Harding started at 3:30 p.m., a flurry of college coaches stood on the turf as Harding players went through combine-type drills like the 40-yard dash, tire flipping, the bag drill, the L-drill and the shuttle run. Players also ran through position-specific drills.

Being able to run through drills in front of college coaches, in order to gain that exposure, is crucial for athletes looking to play at the next level, according to Arnold.

“We got 70 college coaches here, and I mean you can’t even talk about how beneficial this is for our kids,” Arnold said. “All the hard work that they put in throughout the offseason, to get the opportunity to perform in front of coaches, I mean you have Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa State, MAC schools, I mean everyone is here. So if you’re good enough and if your grades are fine, you’re going to get an opportunity.”

With a big moment in front of them, Arnold prepared his kids thoroughly and ran them through the drills leading up to the event. But, in the end, it was an opportunity to demonstrate what they were capable of.

“It’s kind of like you throw that carrot out there and they get a chance to perform,” Arnold said. “The offseason is long so you need something to look forward to. Obviously, you look forward to the season, but this is like the culmination of all your hard work before you go into the summer.”

Ursuline also was set to host a college showcase this morning beginning at 6 a.m.

gmacafee@tribtoday.com