Jamboree receives positive reviews

Jackson and Central each scored touchdowns, no one was hurt and both teams showed flashes on both offense and defense.

All and all, both coaches seemed to agree Friday night's football jamboree at Jackson was a success.

"I'll guarantee, I'll sleep better tonight than I thought I would," Central coach Lawrence Brookins said.

While no score was taken, Jackson outscored both its opponents. The Indians held Festus scoreless while scoring a touchdown on the ground to go along with six first downs. Against Central, Jackson scored two touchdowns to Central's one.

"Just getting to scrimmage someone else is huge," Jackson coach Carl Gross said. "You can practice against yourself so much, but errors begin to show up against someone else."

A common theme for both Central and Jackson was getting some varsity experience for untested quarterbacks. Jackson used senior Joey Starke and backup sophomore Rex Meyr, while Central had sophomore Blake Slattery starting and freshman Garrett Stevens as his backup.

Both sets of quarterbacks had their moments. Slattery showed off a strong arm with several deep passes, and Stevens finished Central's offensive set against Jackson with a deep connection.

Brookins said he was impressed with the play of his quarterbacks, especially their ability to pick up some of the techniques imparted by offensive coordinator Steve Williams.

"I saw them doing some of the things I've heard and seen him teach," Brookins said.

Jackson's initial success on offense Friday night was on the ground, but against Central both touchdowns came in the air. Starke and Meyr both showed good decision-making at times and good accuracy.

"I thought our backs ran hard. I was really pleased with the play of our rookie quarterbacks," Gross said.

Both teams certainly made their share of mistakes as well, mistakes which will have to be corrected by next week's season openers. Central has less than a week before Thursday's home game against Eureka.

Central senior running back Marcus Rice said it was good to get back on the field, and he can't wait to the get the season started.

"We're just ready for Eureka," he said.

Jackson will open its season at home Friday against Gosnell (Ark.). This will be the first meeting between the two teams.

Gross said he saw some things his team can work on, but he thinks they'll be ready in time for the regular season.

"Everything's fixable. Our problems are fixable," he said.