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Beaufort County’s three public high school football teams will finally have a chance to hit somebody besides a teammate when the annual county jamboree kicks off at Northside High School Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Eight teams will take part on Bing Mitchell Field with two teams scrimmaging against each other on each side of the field. One team will run 10 offensive plays starting at the 40-yard line, then switch to defense so the opponent can run their offense. The ball returns to the 40 after a touchdown and there is no score kept on the scoreboard. Each school will play four opponents, with some rest time in between, which makes for a full evening of football.

“40 offensive and 40 defensive plays allows you to see everybody on film, so you can correct mistakes before the opener,” Northside coach Keith Boyd said. “We try to bring in teams that run different things, so you get a variety of styles. It’s a fun way to start the season after 25 or so summer practices.”

Washington Co., Gates, Co., Manteo, North Pitt and Pamlico Co. will participate in addition to the three local schools. Washington High School is back in the mix after not participating last year.

“I’m glad we are back in it, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know Coach Boyd and Coach Carrow,” second-year coach Matt Taylor said. “They do a great job organizing this and it lets county fans see all three teams in the same place. Our goal is to carry over the things we’ve practiced into game situations and see how we respond. You learn a lot more about your team and the players learn more in real game situations.”

The Pam Pack starts against Southside, then plays Washington Co. and Gates Co before finishing against the Panthers. Northside and Southside also face each other, something that doesn’t happen every year.
Admission is $5 and the concession stand will be open.

“The jamboree lets us get quality reps against different opponents and is a fun way to let fans know the season is almost here,” Carrow said. “We have a young group this season and we’ll be able to rotate spots on the offensive and defensive lines to see what works best. It’s good to have Washington back with us and we’re looking forward to having some fun.”