By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Sports Editor

The Fayette County Tigers invited two other county teams, the Starr's Mill Panthers and the Sandy Creek Patriots, and a AAA powerhouse in the Creekside Seminoles, as they played host to a high school football jamboree Friday night.

A jamboree gives each team time on offense and defense as they scrimmage the other teams. It is a good indicator to coaches on how far the team has come along during practice.

The Fayette County Tigers got some good news as they started the night on offense against the Sandy Creek defense. Running Back Wes Clark is back in fine form this season, after getting injured in the middle of last year. Clark got some good runs in early but the Patriot defense soon collapsed on him, not giving up much at all.

The Tigers graduated last year's quarterback, Gerald Johnson, and last year's top receiver, Brandon Croft. The Tigers miss the athleticism and on field leadership of Johnson. Their new quarterback is Nathaniel Enloe, who completed one of three passes in the first quarter. Enloe was picked off on his second pass by Jumaine Harris.

Harris, a starter on the varsity basketball team, is new to football this season but enormous in both size and potential. Overall, the Fayette County offense had a hard time getting anything going, while the Patriot defense appeared disciplined and hungry.

The Panthers then took the field to take on the Seminole defense. This high-energy offense is chock full of talent and confidence. Junior Brad McClaren keeps growing as the Panther quarterback and he is supported by an incredibly talented backfield. Craig Maddock returns from an injury to be the workhorse for the ground attack and he is supported by state champion track athlete Reuben Houston and the speedy LaDon Cooper.

The offense worked quickly and jumped on the board in their first drive down the field. Their line looks bigger and stronger and the entire offense has a better overall idea of what they are trying to accomplish and how they will go about it. Creekside's highly touted defense seemed knocked off their game early but came back to keep the Panthers out of the end zone for the rest of the quarter.

Sandy Creek then brought out their offense to face the Fayette County defense. Last season, the Patriots had trouble scoring when they really needed it and new coach Rodney Walker looks to remedy that problem with an overdose on athleticism. His new quarterback is Andre Green, another basketball player.

Green looks like the type of quarterback that is becoming increasingly popular these days. He can run, he can throw, and he can make a quick decision to go either way at the drop of the hat. Their first drive stalled out early, but the Patriots scored a touchdown on their second drive.

J. R. Lemon got a number of carries at running back and was increasingly productive as the quarter wore on. The touchdown was scored on a 10-yard pass from Green to Gavin Bourgeois, who also kicked the extra point for the team. The jamboree was then postponed due to lightning in the area. Play resumed shortly there after .

The Starr's Mill defense took the field soon after and looked very aggressive and strong. “I was very encouraged by the defense,” said Coach Earwood. “They swarmed the ball well and had some good hits. There were just minor coverage mistakes, which are to be expected early on in the season.”

The three teams open up the season on Sept. 3 with home games. Fayette County hosts Paulding County. Paulding County finished their season four and six last year. Starr's Mill hosts the Riverdale Raiders in what should be a great matchup Saturday at Tiger Stadium. Sandy Creek hosts the other 4-AAA powerhouse, the Morrow Mustangs.

All games begin at 7:30 p.m.

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