This Friday Aug. 16 the wait for high school football games will finally be over as preseason jamborees will be played across the First Coast.
That includes both Ponte Vedra High and Beachside High hosting matchups, while Nease High will take to the road for their first action of the season.
Although the games do not count toward the season standings, it will be the first glimpse of this year’s squads in live game action since the spring games.
All the schools have been holding fall practice and scrimmages, but nothing compares to taking the field on a Friday night with another team lined up on the other side.
One thing for sure, is that each coaching staff and players will have a much better idea about where they are at and what they do well at this point and what they need to continue to work on heading into the season following the jamborees, which is why they have become a valuable tool for coaches over the years.
The Ponte Vedra Sharks will host St. Augustine in the Shark Tank, while the Beachside Barracudas take on the Atlantic Coast Stingrays with both games starting at 7 p.m. Aug. 16.
One of the questions the Sharks have is how they will replace some valuable senior leadership at key positions, including at quarterback with Ben Burk having graduated after being the man under center for the past three seasons.
The jamboree will give fans the first glimpse of the new era of Sharks football, and it will come against a Yellow Jackets squad that finished 13-1 a year ago, so it should be an excellent measuring stick on where they need to grow moving forward.
For the Barracudas, they are now in a district and making the postseason for the first time in the school’s short history is the top priority on the table.
Unlike the Sharks, the Barracudas return quarterback Eddie Jordan and look to build upon the winning seasons they have had in their first two campaigns.
The Panthers will make a trip to Clay County to face the Oakleaf Knights at 7 p.m. on Aug. 16. As they will also get experience making a road trip for the first in the new season.
It is the first step for the Panthers in their quest to repeat as district champions. They have had a quarterback battle of their own with several having been competing for the starting spot through the spring and into fall camp.
