When the Noxubee County High School football team played in the 2014 New Hope Jamboree, coach Tyrone Shorter challenged his team to make sure its preseason game and last game were played in the same venue.
For the sixth time in seven seasons, Mississippi State will play host to the event, which showcases several area teams in their first live action of the season. In 2014, Noxubee County played in the jamboree. Four months later, it returned to MSU to win the first of back-to-back Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A State championships.
“It is such an honor for the kids to play in that stadium,” Shorter said. “We made it a rallying cry. We wanted the kids to get used to playing there, and we wanted them to be determined to make it back.”
This season, the two-day, seven-game event opens at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, when New Hope plays Morton. The Aug. 13 schedule includes Kemper County vs. Amory (9 a.m.), Noxubee County vs. Grenada (11 a.m.), Choctaw County vs. Northeast Jones (1 p.m.), Louisville vs. Shannon (3 p.m.), West Point vs. Callaway (5 p.m.) and Columbus vs. Meridian (7 p.m.).
In each game, a varsity half will be played followed by a junior varsity quarter.
“It’s a great event,” Columbus third-year head coach Randal Montgomery said. “After several weeks of practice, the players are anxious to go out and hit somebody else. Playing at State is really huge, and it is an exciting opportunity. It just adds to the enthusiasm you feel when you take the field for the first time in a new season.”
When Kris Pickle took over the New Hope program three years ago, he inherited the task of making the event one of the best in the state. This will be a second-straight season of the two-day, seven-game format.
“We have several coaches call and they want to come,” Pickle said. “This year was a little unique. Mississippi State stepped up and gave us a list of teams they wanted to see invited, so we went down that list and tried to get those teams involved.
“The demand has grown each year. People know we have a popular event, and it’s really a great opportunity for the kids.”
Columbus finished with eight wins — the second most in school history — last season. Montgomery is anxious to look at some new faces in different positions against the perennial Class 6A power Meridian.
“We really aren’t focused on the final score since it’s a scrimmage,” Montgomery said. “Our plan is to run a set number of players and to see how well we can execute those plays. You will always have a few players in new positions, and you also want to see how some of the new guys perform when the lights are turned on for the first time.
“You do want to play a quality opponent, and we have that in Meridian. After that, you just want to see execution. You want to make sure you are doing the little things right and then you have your talking points going into the week ahead.”
Pickle plans to focus on execution on offense and defense, too. He also appreciates the great lengths MSU goes to make the event happen.
“The kids get to dress in the same locker rooms as the college players,” Pickle said. “You take the field the same way. Mississippi State turns on the Jumbotron. They don’t have to do those things. For a lot of these kids, they will never have an opportunity to play at a Mississippi State or at an Ole Miss.
“Not only do they have this opportunity to play at Davis Wade, but Mississippi State goes out of its way to make sure the players feel special.”
While the university has a role to play, Pickle also counts on his booster club.
“They are the ones that make this thing go,” Pickle said. “From concessions to hospitality rooms, it’s a group effort. I have so many people who come up and want to volunteer. They want to be part of this special event. That is why we have been able to make it grow. That is why it is something people look forward to each year to start the season.”
Once again, the teams competing will have a chance to bookend their seasons at MSU. For the second time, Davis Wade Stadium will play host to the six MHSAA state championship games Dec. 2-3.
“Hopefully, the kids will enjoy their first taste and want to come back for more,” Montgomery said.
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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