Jul. 10—”Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip.”
The constant sound of the ball zipping off the long snappers’ fingers during their drills enveloped the camp.
Many of the top 50 high school long snappers from around the U.S. were in Lewiston this week at Chris Rubio’s annual three-day TOP 12 camp, which concluded Thursday at Lewiston High School’s P1FCU Sports Complex.
Rubio is known as the country’s leading expert on long snapping among the youth and prep ranks.
One of the things Rubio kept repeating to both the players and the parents was how good the group of people in this competition were.
“They’re a good group of kids, they’ve got good size and they’ve got good personalities,” Rubio said of the group’s strengths. “And with long snappers … (we’re) talking about mental toughness, because long snapping to me is about 90% mental. Because it’s such a weird position where there’s no one guarding you, there’s no one blocking you, there’s no one affecting you. It’s the only position on the field where literally no one affects you.”
The top 12 best performers at the camp, rated by Rubio, were gifted gold shirts and four of the top snappers were given spots in both the Navy All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl — two of the most sought-after high school all-star games in the country.
The two best long snapping recruits in the country — Sean Kraft of Swannanoa, N.C., and Jaydee Lane of Mendenhall, Miss. — were chosen to fill the spots in the Navy All-American Bowl.
Both Kraft and Lane are in the class of 2027, and Kraft is committed to snap at Notre Dame, while Lane is committed to play at Florida.
Kraft is dedicated to his craft almost like no other at the camp, he said. He has spent many nights snapping for seven hours straight and told an anecdote where just a week ago he passed out while snapping and then got back to work just minutes later.
He said long snapping is built on the grind and experience; no one can just walk in and snap the perfect snap.
“It’s truly a dream,” Kraft said about playing in the Navy All-American game. “It’s a blessing straight from the heavens, and it’s always been a dream to play an All-American game, and now that I’m receiving the blessing to play in the Navy All-American, it’s really a surreal experience. I never thought I’d ever be playing college football. I just wanted to like make an All-American game, and now I received the blessing to play in the best All-American game. It’s pretty cool.”
Lane explained that he’s been long snapping since he was in fifth grade, and that his father long snapped at the University of Alabama.
He said that being one of the top long snappers at the camp came with a target on his back, but he loves the competition and the ability to go against some of the best in the country.
The camp ended with four snappers competing to get the highest score in a Rubio-built contraption for the Polynesian Bowl spots. It went back and forth many times with one snapper scoring two or three points and the other snapper reciprocating.
Wednesday had featured a battle for the two Navy All-American bowl spots.
“I love the pressure,” Lane said about competing at the camp. “That competition right there going against Brayson Albin (for a Navy All-American spot Wednesday), that was awesome. … We’re competing and it’s just two big guys going at it. So I mean, just that right there, that pressure — I love feeling pressure because pressure makes diamonds.”
In the end, Albin and Jack Laska walked away with the spots in the coveted Polynesian Bowl.
What makes a truly elite long snapper?
Rubio said that when someone starts long snapping, there are many things on the checklist to mark off to make sure a good snap occurs.
Feet set, balance is good, the ball is extended, arms are bent, weight is down, weight is back and many others. But at this point, these long snappers already have that down. So it is a matter of sticking consistent snaps and making it muscle memory.
He gave an example of tying shoes and how that is just built into an adult because they’ve done it so many times.
“Same thing here — there’s nothing affecting them,” Rubio said. “The only thing that’s going to affect them right now is the mentality. How strong are they up between the ears, as they say.”
He said the truly elite long snappers have the mentality where they lock in almost instantly.
“I always use the reference of ski boots,” Rubio said. “If you’ve ever skied or you’ve seen ski boots, you click in, click in, and you’re in, baby. You can’t just take them off real quick. You’re locked in.”
The best long snappers are “joking, joking, joking. Then they get their feet on the line, and holy hell, it’s like ‘boom,’ and then they’re like, ‘boom,'” Rubio said.
“That’s 100% the difference between the good and the great: they have the mentality of almost, ‘Oh, I feel bad that I’m going against you. I’m going to destroy you right now. But let me just snap and kill you, and then we’re friends again,'” the coach said. “And those are the best, by far the best.”
A homegrown snapper and the city of Lewiston’s involvement
Drew Haines, a rising senior at Lewiston High School, started snapping in March, and now he’s competing in the TOP 12 camp.
He said that to see his development come so rapidly has been fun.
“It feels amazing, especially since I just started,” Haines said. “It’s hard to beat. Like I came out here, we got the number one snapper in the world going to Notre Dame, and I’m here competing against them. And I’ve been doing this for four months. It’s a great feeling.”
He said at the beginning of his journey, he didn’t know how to hold the ball and didn’t know the form. He started from scratch and has worked with Rubio on a weekly basis to get better.
He also said representing the city of Lewiston at the camp is a great opportunity.
“It’s great; all these kids are super, super excited to be here,” Haines said. “I’m just super proud. It’s a great town. School’s been great. Everyone enjoys it, and it’s cool to see all the people from all over the world. You’ve got kids here from the East Coast, where they live in big cities like Cleveland or Chicago, and they come here and they’re impressed by what we have to offer. It’s super cool.”
Rubio said many of the players and parents have told him how surprised they were at what Lewiston was like. The beauty around the area was a common theme; Rubio jokingly told them to keep it a secret.
Rubio said that the community has become very involved in the camp, which he deeply appreciates.
He said companies like ParTee Golf and Games, the McDonald’s of Lewiston-Clarkston Valley and A&B Foods helped keep the players having fun, fed and hydrated.
He also thanked the Lewiston Superintendent Tim Sperber and others who have been helpful in checking in on how the event is going and even brought gifts for the players.
Navy All-American Bowl qualifiers — Sean Kraft, Jaydee Lane.
Polynesian Bowl qualifiers — Brayson Albin, Jack Laska.
TOP 12 shirt recipients — Sean Kraft, Jaydee Lane, Zayden Lassiter, Bryson Albin, Kyle Gerrish, Tyndal Potter, Chase Abdul-Wahab, Paul Heggie, Brady Dubak, Jack Laska, Brock Brazil, Brody Tunison.
Junt can be reached at 208-848-2258, tjunt@lmtribune.com or on X @TrevorJunt.
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