NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Florida – A day before the second scrimmage of fall camp, Bethune-Cookman Football was gripped in an epic 11-on-11 battle Friday afternoon following heavy storms throughout the Volusia County area. While the defense took the won on this day, it was California – yes, the state, that highlighted afterwards.With temperatures cooling off into the lower-80s following the storms, senior writer/historian Dan Ryan meandered over to speak with a few #CaliCats on how they're adjusting to offense, defense, special teams…and Florida.
Let's just get this out there because this is a series about California football players adjusting to life in Florida: With the exception of a few isolated franchises in Texas – believe us, we've checked – the closest In-N-Out Burger is literally 2,500 miles away.
"Oh, man," laughs junior Marc Martin of Atascadero, California. "Every time we're in LAX [Los Angeles International Airport], we hit that first thing before we go out."
Kaelin Humphrey, a Long Beach native, shares the In-N-Out love, but not to that extent. His loyalties are to a place called Mr. Fries Man and a pizza joint that he feels rivals anything in New York City.
Yep, the local west coast cuisine is now literally on the other side of the country. But Humphrey has found one iconic local Daytona Beach spot that should make up for it.
"Bethune Grill. Super, super place," Humphrey said.
Yeah, we're getting to the serious stuff about adjusting to a new region, a new, upgraded way of playing football and college life as training camp continues. But sometimes it's the little things that come into play when making a move like this – even people's attitudes and indigenous wildlife.
"Alligators," Humphrey said. "Never seen one before. Never been fishing before, either. My summer roommate [Kendall Batt] took me. We caught a lot of…caught some crabs, think we also caught something I think was called a hook fish. It was a lot of fun."
Martin has a little bit of advantage in that department. He's an avid hunter.
"You have wild boar here and you don't have to have [a hunting license]," Martin said. "Off-season, I'm definitely going. It's not like in California where I know every where I'm going, but I'm looking forward to it."
Where Martin concedes is lifestyle.
"California is so relaxed," Martin said. "When you see beaches and dudes surfing and wearing flips … IT'S REALLY LIKE THAT! Summer here in Florida is all about business. Out there it's about vacation."
And even though we have surfing here in Florida, our 3 ½ foot waves can't compare to the Pacific Ocean.
"You're not going to see me in New Smyrna Beach on a board any time soon," Martin said.
The serious adjustment?
Time zones.
Both admitted it took over a week for their bodies to convert the three hours from Pacific to Eastern time, and that staying light to sometimes 9 p.m. got to be a drag.
"One time when we had 5 a.m. workouts, I was up the whole night," Humphrey said. "After the first week, I was fine."
Both emphasized that it wouldn't be getting in the way, anyhow.
"We're football players," Martin said. "It's a matter of grinding, getting the job done and helping the team."
Bethune-Cookman Football will hold its second scrimmage of fall camp Saturday, Aug. 11 at 3 p.m. A location for the closed event has yet to be determined.
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