Smiles on the faces of high school football coaches one week before their season opener typically mean just one thing: They like their team’s potential.
As the annual Best of Preps jamboree came to a close Saturday at Finley Stadium, Central’s Curt Jones, Red Bank’s Ted Gatewood and Tyner’s Scott Chandler all walked away from the field after their two exhibition quarters with ear-to-ear grins.
After Central and Tyner played to a 6-6 tie in the opening period, Red Bank won 7-0 over Tyner, which played mostly second-teamers in that quarter. The Lions scored on a short touchdown run by MarChez Beach.
“It’s always good to go against somebody who’s pretty athletic,” Chandler said. “We scrimmaged Red Bank a week or so ago, so we wanted to get some of our backup guys some snaps.
“We haven’t had much energy or effort in the last week, and I’ve had to get after our guys for that. Tonight we showed better energy and effort, and now we have to get ready for the real start to the season.”