With the start of the 2017 football season less than three weeks away, the Cumberland County High School Jets faced off against Bledsoe County in their first live scrimmage action of the preseason. The Jets held their own against the 3AA school.

“I’m never satisfied, but we had a lot more positives than negatives,” said Jet head coach Ken Johnson. “We’ve just got to keep playing. Any time you switch up offenses and defenses, you need repetition.”

Offensively, CCHS showed gains compared to last year. Big plays were made by Jacob Kerley and Devin Watkins for the Jets in the ground game. After the scrimmage, Johnson stressed the importance of not “beating themselves” with penalties.

“There were times that we were moving the ball good, getting three or four yards a play, then a penalty would set us back. We had a lot of positives, but we’ve still got to keep getting better,” he said.

The defensive side of the ball was the bright spot for the Jet squad Thursday, only giving up 14 points, including a crucial goal-line stand to end the scrimmage. Junior transfer Colin Brechon stepped up big with an interception near midfield that was returned to the end zone for a touchdown.

“We had guys getting to the football defensively tonight. It was rare that only one guy was making a tackle and, as a coach, that excites you. From the seniors to the freshman, we were flying around the field tonight,” added Johnson.

Moving forward, the CCHS coaching staff look to learn from the scrimmage and better their team.

“We learn something new about the kids every day. We learned when things get tough, who’s going to give that extra effort,” Johnson said.

Cumberland County will be traveling east to Oliver Springs High School Friday to take on the Bobcats in scrimmage action. The Jets lost to Oliver Springs 20-0 in 2016, and Johnson hopes last year’s game will serve as inspiration.

“I hope the kids have a little chip on their shoulder,” Johnson said of the trip to Oliver Springs. “They beat us last year, but at the same time, this is just a scrimmage. This is to ultimately prepare us for our first game.”

The Jets kick off the 2017 season on  Aug. 18 at York Institute.

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