NATCHEZ — On June 21, three local football players headed to Dallas to display their talents on the national level.

Lee Ford Jr. and Jaden Ivey of Vidalia High School and Trey Fleming of Adams Country Christian School first qualified for the ULTIMATE 100 football camp at a smaller combine camp in Zachary, La.

Ford said once he found out he was invited to participate in the ULTIMATE camp, he was elated.

“It felt good to find out I was invited to the next step,” Ford said. “This is the next step to go to college and get a scholarship.”

The ULTIMATE 100 camp is a professional, privately owned three-day training and assessment recruiting program for high school football players to display their skills and potential. Only those who were invited were able to attend.

Fleming, on the other hand, went to the Zachary camp and was unable to show off his skills because of a concussion he sustained.

He said he was still invited to the ULTIMATE camp because they knew he was capable of making it there. But with a chip on his shoulder, Fleming went to the Dallas camp ready to prove that he could compete.

Fleming said going with Ford and Ivey made the experience much better.

“I’ve been knowing them for a long time, we’re like family,” he said. “We all knew we had to go up there and put Natchez on the map.”

Ford and Fleming said they felt very confident going into the camp.

Ford said the competition at the lineman position was fierce. He said they competed in one-on-one drills that entailed them to go head-to-head with another lineman to see who would be knocked to the ground first.

“It is a very physical and aggressive drill. It was literally like we were fighting to see who was better,” Ford said.

Ford said as he was constantly fighting, and he was constantly prevailing. He said he finished in the top percentage of the camp in his position.

Fleming also did well as he won the Dodie Donnell top pure football player award.

“I did well, and I’m glad the coaches noticed it,” Fleming said.

Fleming said he will take the things he learned from the camp and implement it in his own game as well as his teammates at ACCS.

“I learned a lot of drills in the camp, and I can take those drills back to the receivers so we can be great at it,” Fleming said.

Ford said they all competed well at the ULTIMATE camp because of God.

“God gave us the will and the determination to compete,” Ford said. “God was there watching over us.”