jjohnson@heraldsun.com; 419-6667
DURHAM -- Fans of high school football can get their first taste of the 2010 season Friday in the first Bull City Football Jamboree at Riverside.
The jamboree originally was scheduled for County Stadium, but construction delays forced the event to be moved to the backup site.
Riverside coach Todd Spell said he was happy to host the event, though he said the 2011 Jamboree at County Stadium should be a nice showcase for Durham.
"We're going to have a nice facility in Durham for this in the future when it gets done," Spell said of the renovations. "A jamboree is what we need in Durham. It's actually an exciting day for fans of high school football because they can see a lot of different teams at one time."
Northern coach Anthony Sullivan, who took the lead in organizing the event, said there was a lot of interest from coaches who wanted their teams to participate.
"There were up to 20 teams interested at different times," Sullivan said. "But because of coaching changes and other factors, we got the teams we could. It's going to be a dynamite day of football. We're pleased with the teams we have."
Sixteen teams originally were slated to compete in four sessions throughout the afternoon and evening, but three PAC-6 teams pulled out for various reasons.
East Chapel Hill and Person have first-year coaches, while Hillside coach Antonio King said he was concerned about the afternoon heat the Hornets might have to endure for the time slot. King said he sought a later starting time, but the matchups would not allow it.
Instead, Hillside will host Northern Vance in a scrimmage on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The remaining 13 teams include Northern, Riverside, Southern and Jordan from the PAC-6, as well as Carrboro, Chapel Hill, East Wake, Middle Creek, Millbrook, Panther Creek, Winston-Salem Parkland, Wakefield and West Johnston.
The first of three sessions begins at 3 p.m. with Jordan, Middle Creek, Millbrook, Parkland and Wakefield taking the field first. The four teams in the 6 p.m. session are Riverside, Carrboro, East Wake and West Johnson, and the final session includes Northern, Southern Chapel Hill and Panther Creek at 8:15 p.m.
The idea for the jamboree was hatched during 2009 postseason meeting of the PAC-6 coaches as a way for teams to cut down on travel and have a better shot at getting in scrimmage time, according to Spell. He had the unfortunate experience of having his scheduled scrimmage rained out twice a year ago.
"We weren't able to get in a scrimmage at all," said Spell, who had what he called an inexperienced squad in 2009 that may have benefited from the game simulation.
Spell said he didn't think heat would be much of a factor during the scrimmages because of all the safety guidelines that must be followed.
"The kids will get plenty of rest during the scrimmages," Spell said. "They'll be monitored like they always are. We're not going to be out there trying to hurt the kids."
Admission is $6 and tickets are available in advance at the schools involved. Most of the money raised through presales will go back to the schools that sold the tickets. Northern and Riverside will share most of the proceeds of tickets sold at the gate.
