Best of Preps jamboree day 1 recap [photos]

Notre Dame's Cameron Wynn catches the ball over Signal Mountain's Travion Williams for a 21-yard gain during the Best of Preps Kickoff Classic jamboree Friday night at Finley Stadium.
Notre Dame's Cameron Wynn catches the ball over Signal Mountain's Travion Williams for a 21-yard gain during the Best of Preps Kickoff Classic jamboree Friday night at Finley Stadium.

Best of Preps Kickoff Classic Jamboree

› Brainerd 7, Boyd-Buchanan 0› Chattanooga Christian 7, Grace Academy 7› Boyd-Buchanan 7, Grace Academy 0› Brainerd 0, Chattanooga Christian 0› McCallie 14, Notre Dame 0› Notre Dame 13, Signal Mountain 0› McCallie 7, Signal Mountain 7

Seven teams showed up at Finley Stadium on Friday to kick off the high school football season, each playing two 20-minute periods. And while none went 2-0, two managed to go 1-0-1.

Brainerd defeated Boyd-Buchanan 7-0 in the opening period of the Best of Preps Kickoff Classic jamboree. The Panthers later played Chattanooga Christian to a scoreless tie.

McCallie beat Notre Dame 14-0 and then in the final period of the night got a late touchdown to tie Signal Mountain at 7.

CCS also went undefeated - with two ties. The Chargers tied Grace Academy at 7 in their other period.

The second day of the jamboree is today starting at 4 p.m.

-Brainerd: Brainerd played three quarterbacks but still is in search of one. Timothy Burrage had a 61-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Norwood, but Norwood covered most of the distance on foot after breaking two tackles at the point of the catch.

Coach Tyrus Ward said once the Panthers get things settled at quarterback he believes everything else offensively will fall into place. But he didn't put all the blame for their offensive futility on the quarterbacks.

"We've got to get better up front on the offensive side of the ball," Ward said.

Meanwhile, Brainerd's defense got a fourth-down sack from Reno Evans for a 13-yard loss against Boyd-Buchanan, and it stopped a Buccaneers drive on the 11-yard line late in the period to preserve the shutout.

The Panthers held CCS to 1 yard from scrimmage. Brainerd's Ciante Chaney also had a fumble recovery in that period.

"Our defense has kind of been carrying us," Ward said. "They put us in some good situations, but we missed an opportunity to score there in that last one."

-McCallie: The Blue Tornado scored on both of their possessions against the Fighting Irish. Quarterback Deangelo Hardy went 46 yards for a touchdown on a fourth-and-3 play, and he also scored from the 14 at the end of a 10-play, 77-yard drive.

"There are things we can do better, always," McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. "It's a learning experience every time you go out and play."

Potter played a few more reserves against Signal's Eagles. His defense was out there most of that period.

The Blue Tornado did get an 82-yard run from running back Ledarrius Mason to the 5, from where Zack McAteer took it in. Alec Earp was 3-for-3 on extra points.

"We saw some good things out there," Potter said. "But the way it goes is, you're as good as your last performance. If you didn't like what you did out there, on Monday you come out to practice and show us what you can do. You can't get comfortable or complacent."

-Grace Academy: The Golden Eagles got off to a quick start, needing just four plays to score against Chattanooga Christian. Cade Tinsley, who rushed for 1,200 yards last year as the team's featured back, showcased his skills at a new position Friday. After completing his first two passes, Tinsley, now the team's quarterback, ripped off a 57-yard touchdown run.

"He's our best player, so this year we put him at quarterback and tonight he showed people what he can do," said Grace coach Bob Ateca, who played mostly reserves against Boyd-Buchanan. "We got a little tired, so we definitely have some conditioning to do. But we got to play everybody and they got to experience playing on this turf. This is where our first game is, so this helps."

-Chattanooga Christian: Roderick Young's 36-yard run for CCS was the highlight of a seven-play drive that covered 70 yards against Grace. It ended on Damarious Hinton's 3-yard run. The Chargers reached midfield at the end of the 20-minute period, but Dylan Clark's pass was intercepted on the game's final play.

The defense shone against Brainerd, though the offense struggled.

"We're just trying to get some young kids experience," CCS coach Mark Mariakis said. "We started three freshmen tonight, and their eyes were a little big at the beginning. After that first series on offense and defense, we kind of settled in."

-Notre Dame: The Irish did some good things in a 14-0 loss to McCallie, driving to the 23-yard line on their first possession before turning the ball over on downs. The second game against Signal, a 13-0 Notre Dame win, was entirely different.

The Irish put together two scoring drives and amassed 117 total yards. Each of Charles Fant's quarterbacks, T.J. McGhee and Landon Allen, had big passes, and wideout Cameron Wynn showed why he's one of the area's most dangerous weapons.

"I saw some resilience tonight," Fant said. "Our kids wanted to play well against McCallie - everybody does - because they are one of the best teams in the area and the entire state. We battled, but up front those guys are good and we got a little winded at the end."

-Signal Mountain: The Eagles also had a nice turnaround after managing 21 yards against Notre Dame. Quarterback Tom Vatter hit Travion Williams with a perfectly thrown 59-yard touchdown pass to cap a quick first drive.

Even though McCallie had the late long run, Matthew Mersch ran the length of the field and made the tackle on Mason.

"That's what we wanted to see, effort," Signal Mountain coach Josh Roberts said. "I told them, 'If you guys keep doing that, we'll be fine.' We've got a ways to go, but we'll get there."

-Boyd-Buchanan: Fullback Will Watkins was a bright spot for the Bucs against Brainerd with 41 yards on eight carries.

Miguel Medina led them in rushing against Gracewith two carries for 32 yards, including a 19-yard scoring run.

Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 432-757-6296.

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