Beginning tonight, there will be high school football action of some kind every Friday night through mid December. The annual city jamboree begins tonight at Finley Stadium and continues Saturday as well, while the Sequatchie Valley jamboree will be played at South Pittsburg tonight. With one more week remaining before actual games kick off, here are a few things to look for at tonight’s area jamborees:
* The transition to new offenses by Boyd-Buchanan and Howard. While the Buccaneers continue the trend of switching to a spread offense, Howard is going more old-school with an offense patterned after Georgia Tech’s successful option attack. The ‘Tiger-bone’ as Howard coach Alvin Tarver calls it, came about as a way to get the best athletes on the field at the same time.
“We’ve got three or four pretty good running backs, and we felt they all need to handle the ball some,” Tarver said. “So instead of just one or two backs on the field at once, we looked at ways of getting them all out there and making us more dangerous.
“The kids have absolutely bought into it and love it. We went to a camp at Georgia Tech and were very impressed with their offense. We researched it and I really think it will fit our talent and the style we want to play. It also creates one-on-one with the receivers and we’re planning on still throwing it a lot to keep people from stacking the line. We hope it’s a headache for people.”
The Hustlin’ Tigers moved Thomas McCauley from receiver to quarterback to give them another rushing threat, but Tarver noted that McCauley has also proven himself to be an accurate passer.
* There may be no better jamboree matchup than tonight’s second quarter at Finley Stadium between Red Bank and Signal Mountain. If those two teams played during the regular season, considering proximity, it would likely develop into one of the city’s top rivalries. Hopes are again high for both programs this season.
“I think our kids are just ready to play somebody in a different colored jersey,” Price said. “We’re playing a quality opponent in Red Bank. It should be fun for the fans. But nobody wins a championship by winning the jamboree, and we all want to get out of there healthy most importantly.”
Injury to key players is one of the biggest concerns facing every team each preseason and Signal Mountain is already dealing with that issue. Star linebacker and running back Gervell Morgan broke seven ribs and punctured a lung in a scrimmage against Central recently, but Eagles coach Bill Price is optimistic about the player’s return.
“We’re hoping to have him for a few plays against Hixson (in next Friday’s season opener),” Price said. “If not, he should be back for the East Hamilton game the next week. We’ll wrap him up and he’ll wear a flak jacket and see how he feels.
* Ooltewah’s completely revamped program. Starting at the top with new head coach Shannon Williams and continuing with an entirely new offensive backfield led by quarterback Goose Manning as well as nine new defensive starters.