Local prep football teams practice, compete at USJ

The weather at University School of Jackson on Wednesday evening was perfect for football.

Bruins head football coach Mickey Marley sat on the turf of Kirkland Field during the closing presentation of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes 7-on-7 camp and lineman competition and noted how pleasant the environment was.

"If it says cool like this through all of August, it'll be a good month for me," Marley said.

There were a total of 16 schools represented at USJ on Wednesday, the first of two days of the annual event that returned after inclement weather canceled the camp in 2013.

Dyer County won the 7-on-7 scrimmage competition based on wins and losses, points scored and points allowed. Jackson Central-Merry finished second.

"We looked real good today," said JCM coach Orentheus Taylor. "Obviously there's stuff we need to work on here and there, but it was a good day."

Taylor thought his team might have won the competition had they not lost a scrimmage on a last-second score the Cougars gave up.

"If we held on there, I think we would've won, but I can't say for sure," Taylor said.

Ripley won the lineman competition that consisted of lifting competition in USJ's fieldhouse in addition to various skill exercises in different spots on campus.

For some teams, Wednesday was a culmination of the last couple of weeks of 7-on-7 camps and scrimmages.

Trinity Christian Academy coach Blake Butler said Wednesday marked his team's final 7-on-7 of the summer.

"This is it for us, and I think we're ready to move on to the next phase of the preseason," Butler said. "There's only so much you can do in these things, but we got some work in with some younger guys over the last couple of weeks. Now we'll start putting together scrimmages before the season starts."

For McNairy Central and first-year head coach Chad Hodge, Wednesday marked the first time the Bobcats did anything with another team.

"We've been pushing hard just to improve ourselves in the weight room and getting faster and getting to the point where we can come out here and get some work in," Hodge said. "But for the first day we looked pretty good. We weren't surprised by anything, and we know what we need to work on the next couple of weeks."

Lexington head coach Bryant Hollingsworth said his team looked pretty good.

"Did we look great? I wouldn't say so, but I liked a lot of what I saw," Hollingsworth said. "But we also don't put the work in to try to do well in 7-on-7s. This is to get us better for when we're playing with everybody out there. We've got work to do."

"Work to do" was the running theme of coaches throughout the night. Chester County's Michael Hodum, Greenfield's Don Pitt and Gibson County's Morgan Cruce had similar sentiments.

Liberty head coach Steve Hookfin said his team's effort and performance were both good.

"There were some areas that need a little more consistency on every snap," Hookfin said. "But we're getting there."

Brandon Shields, 425-9751