LUMBERTON — With the start of the season just over a week away, four local high school football teams had a chance to play in a game-like atmosphere at the Battle of the Carolinas jamboree at Lumberton High School on Thursday.
All five games at the full-contact jamboree were played with two 20-minute halves and a running clock.
Latta defeated Red Springs 14-6, Lake View topped Fairmont 16-0, Purnell Swett beat East Bladen 22-0, Dillon bested Scotland 18-7 and Lumberton finished at a 7-all draw against Marion.
Red Springs head coach Lawrence Ches said many of the difficulties his team experienced were not unanticipated.
“We have a young secondary and we have a lot of breakdowns in the secondary, so that’s what we expected,” Ches said. “They spread us out and put pressure on us. When you don’t have time to scout a team, it looks rougher than it is.”
Fairmont head coach Kevin Inman said his team’s loss to Lake View was a learning experience for some of its younger players.
“We ran good routes, we did fundamental stuff well,” Inman said. “The main things we’ve got to improve on are staying engaged on the offensive line and giving our quarterbacks time. We’ve got young quarterbacks who aren’t used to staying in the pocket. We need to make them feel comfortable.”
Purnell Swett head coach Jon Sherman was happy with his team’s performance in its shutout victory over East Bladen.
“I didn’t like the energy at first, but we moved the ball,” Sherman said. “We were consistent with certain plays. I like the physicality of our defense tremendously. They were aggressive and I enjoyed that.”
Lumberton head coach Kelly Williamson said he is feeling good about his team’s ability to execute heading into the first week of the season.
“Our defensive line played well and our running backs could run the ball,” Williamson said. “We’re a young team trying to fill our identity. They’re learning me and I’m learning them.”
