Last preparation before season’s action begins

The Friday night lights came on on Aug. 16 for the five Wayne County teams’ final dress rehearsal before regular-season games start on Friday, Aug. 23. Indiana High School Athletic Association rules allow teams to participate in either a scrimmage or a jamboree against other schools.  

Four of the Wayne County schools opted for the scrimmage format against a team that is not on their regular season schedule.  

Centerville scrimmaged against New Castle. Hagerstown scrimmaged against Lapel. Northeastern scrimmaged against Bellmont. Richmond scrimmaged against Jay County. 

Cambridge City Lincoln opted to participate in a four-team jamboree with Fort Wayne Blackhawk, Union City and Wes-Del. Union City and Wes-Del are regular season opponents of the Eagles.  

There are pros and cons with either format, but both are scripted and they are not considered regular-season games. No score is kept, but it gives teams an opportunity to compete against an opponent that might not be familiar with their schemes and plays.    

Typically each team runs the same number of plays from the same spot on the field. 

One benefit for coaches is the ability to record videos from play and use them later as a teaching tool. It also gives coaches a chance to move players to different positions to see how they react and how they perform. For young unproven players, it is like a job interview.

An obvious advantage with a jamboree is the ability to compete against multiple opponents on the same night. 

Armed with the recordings and firsthand knowledge, the teams will have a little more practice time for final preparation before action starts for real on Friday, Aug. 23, with three Tri-Eastern Conference games. 

Centerville will host Cambridge City Lincoln, Hagerstown travels to Knightstown and Northeastern hosts Union County. Richmond travels to Connersville to face its longtime rival Spartans in a nonconference game. All four games are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.