Although the action had no bearing on the actual season, high school football kicked off Friday night with multiple-team jamborees at both Finley Stadium and South Pittsburg.
Games continue tonight at 8 p.m. at Finley Stadium.
Despite the heat and humidity, large crowds turned out for at both venues, with the annual city jamboree at Finley featuring perennial playoff powers Boyd-Buchanan, Red Bank and Ooltewah as well as second-year program Signal Mountain, which is expected to be one of the city’s top teams this season.
“The guys were real excited about getting out there,” Red Bank coach Tim Daniels said. “It’s just a jamboree, but the guys can put their game clothes on, so it’s exciting for them. For the coaches, as long as nobody comes away on crutches or a wheelchair, we’re happy.”
The annual Sequatchie Valley jamboree at South Pittsburg is one of the state’s oldest, with the host Pirates again looking like one of the most dangerous small-school teams in the area.
Some teams in Tennessee begin the regular season on Friday, and all area teams in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama will be in action the following week, Aug. 27.