Jamboree schedule set for local teams

August 19 may be the first Friday of TSSAA football season in 2016, but jamborees traditionally happen a week earlier and give local fans somewhat of a glimpse of how their teams will look when the season starts a week later.

All jamboree schedules involving local teams have been announced.

Here’s a rundown of what teams are where and who they will be playing on Aug. 12.

•SportsPlus Jamboree at South Side: The event that can also be called the “Jackson Jamboree” since every team in Jackson participates in this one is set to start at 6:30 p.m.

University School of Jackson will open the night against Dyer County, and both teams will have new head coaches this season.

Trinity Christian Academy made the state semifinals last year in Class 2A, so it’s fitting they get semifinal-caliber competition from Liberty Tech, who made the Class 3A semifinals last year.

Humboldt returns to the jamboree this year, and they will play Gibson County, who returns to the jamboree since it moved back to Jackson after it was at the Pioneers’ stadium in Dyer in 2010 and ’11.

Jackson Christian will play a new team to the jamboree, and that is Greenfield. The Yellowjackets will challenge Dyer County for the “Longest Drive to the Jackson Jamboree” award.

North Side and South Side will meet in the final game of the night as Jackson’s gridiron version of the Civil War will be played but won’t count toward records for the second straight year.

•Star Physical Therapy Jamboree at Chester County: The Eagles will host a jamboree for most of the teams in the southern area of West Tennessee once again this year.

Adamsville and Bolivar will meet in the first game of the night that starts at 6:30 p.m. They met for a home-and-home series a few years ago with Adamsville winning both.

McNairy Central and Hardin County will renew their rivalry in the second game.

After the second game, the Chester County jamboree tradition of fastest back, lineman and cheerleader races along with other skill competitions will take place.

Scotts Hill will play the hosting Eagles in the third game of the night.

The Eagles will then turn around and play Riverside in the nightcap.

Eagles head coach Michael Hodum said he hoped to get an eighth team involved so his team wouldn’t have to play twice, but the main two teams he called were Fayette-Ware and Middleton. Middleton had other jamboree plans, and Fayette-Ware turned him down.

•Henry County Jamboree: The jamboree in Paris is set to begin at 6 p.m.

West Carroll and Stewart County will open things up in a matchup of small schools trying to build momentum for the season.

Local powers will meet in the second game as Dresden and Milan are matched up again this year. Dresden won this matchup last year.

Hosting Henry County will play Westview as the Chargers will live up to their image of being willing to play anybody. They’re jumping up two classes for this game.

The final game of the night will match McKenzie with Murray High from Kentucky, who is coached by former Dresden coach Keith Hodge.

•Star Physical Therapy/West Tennessee Bone & Joint Dyersburg Jamboree: Four games will be played at Dyersburg beginning at 6 p.m.

Crockett County will be in the first game against Munford, which will have Cavaliers offensive coordinator Jr. Kirby coaching against the team he was head coach of the past two years.

Obion County and Brighton will meet in the second game.

Haywood and Union City will meet in the third game as a couple of teams who enjoy playing smash mouth football will collide.

Covington and Dyersburg will finish the night after the two met in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs last year. Covington won that game.

Single-game scrimmages

There are a number of scrimmages involving two programs in home-and-home series.

•Peabody at South Gibson: This will be the third year in a row for these two Gibson County programs to meet, and it’s usually a crowded one since the Golden Tide and Hornets faithful are two of the more supportive fan bases in preseason.

•Lexington at Huntingdon: This old school rivalry from years past will be renewed once again. This game has been a hard-hitting affair the last two years, and it’s probably a good thing both teams have Week 1 off to have two weeks to recover.

•Bruceton at Camden: These two teams are separated by fewer than 10 miles in Hwy. 70, and they enjoy meeting in the preseason to give each other a good look in their respective run defenses.

•Middleton at New Site, Miss.: The Tigers haven’t competed many times in jamborees in recent years, but they’re going south of the border to get some extra work in before the season starts the following week.

•Fulton City, Ky. at Gleason: The Bulldogs have taken long trips to places like Collinwood in recent years. They traveled north last year to Fulton City and will host the same opponent this year.

Brandon Shields, 425-9751