Jamborees kicking off prep football season in the Chattanooga region

The wait is over.

Although it's only a brief glimpse, high school football jamborees will be played this weekend, allowing teams the chance to give a preview of what to expect this season.

A record 23 teams will take part in the 20th annual Best of Preps Jamboree at Finley Stadium the next two days. The event will have 20-minute quarters with a continually running clock. Sponsored by the Times Free Press and Truck 'N Trailers USA, the event will feature nine quarters of action Friday evening and 13 quarters on Saturday, and admission will cost $10 both days.

Cleveland and McMinn County high schools both return to the BOP event after brief absences, and Copper Basin will be making its first appearance.

"We're really excited about the number of local teams playing this year," said Todd Agne, BOP Jamboree operations director. "The community has gotten used to this being the showcase for the start of the season. There are new coaches, new players, new uniforms and helmets and just a lot of excitement around it."

Among the more intriguing first-day matchups will be Bradley Central versus East Hamilton, McCallie versus Central and Chattanooga Christian versus East Hamilton. Saturday's lineup of games includes Howard versus Signal Mountain, Walker Valley versus Red Bank, Brainerd versus McMinn County, Notre Dame versus Ooltewah, Notre Dame versus Soddy-Daisy, Baylor versus Soddy-Daisy and Baylor versus Ooltewah.

The event also will feature several college prospects, including McCallie defensive lineman Jay Hardy, who is one of the state's highest-rated recruits, and Blue Tornado quarterback DeAngelo Hardy, who rcently committed to Kennesaw State, as well as Tyner receiver Jeremiah Batiste, who committed to Miami of Ohio.

Additionally, the jamboree will mark the debut for three head coaches with their new teams: Boyd Buchahan's Jeremy Bosken, East Hamilton's Grant Reynolds and Walker Valley's Drew Akins. Bosken has a reputation for turning around struggling programs and will look to rebuild the Buccaneers. Akins, who played at Boyd Buchanan and helped lead the Bucs to back-to-back state-title games as their quarterback before making a name for himself as a talented offensive coordinator, will be making his head coaching debut.

McCallie's B.J. Harris (5) charges into Montgomery Bell Academy's Cooper Maddox (3) during a game in Chattanooga on Aug. 31, 2018.

Reynolds, the former Boyd Buchanan coach who helped guide the Huntsville area's Madison Academy to an Alabama Class 4A state runner-up finish two years ago, is returning to the city where he began his coaching career. He was the defensive coordinator for Boyd Buchanan during its stretch of reaching three consecutive state finals, winning it in 2003, and later led the program back to the championship game as head coach in 2009. He took over at East Hamilton in February and has since been working to build up the roster numbers and put together a new staff.

The Sequatchie Valley Jamboree, one of the state's oldest, is also set for Friday night at Grundy County High School beginning at 7 EDT with all eight teams playing in two quarters each. That jamboree includes 2018 Class 1A state champion Whitwell, which will take on Lookout Valley and Silverdale Baptist Academy.

That event also features perennial playoff powers Marion County, South Pittsburg and Sequatchie County, as well as Bledsoe County and host Grundy County.

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.