August 21, 2008 12:00 am
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By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
Jamborees — the gathering of three or four teams to compete in controlled scrimmages — mark the end of the second week of preseason football workouts in Missouri.
The jamborees will be played Friday night, and most of them start at 7.
Locally, three-team affairs are scheduled at Webb City and Carl Junction, and a four-team jamboree, hosted by McAuley Catholic, will be played at Missouri Southern’s Fred G. Hughes Stadium.
No scores are kept during the jamborees, and teams will run a specific number of plays.
With Missouri’s high school season starting one week earlier this year, the jamborees are at the end of the second week of practice, not the third week.
“Everything is happening a lot faster,” Webb City senior Austin Lepper said. “But we’re ready to get it started.”
A sampling of area players at St. John’s SportsCare prep media day last Saturday revealed most do not mind the practices before playing the first game.
Many, in fact, actually called practice fun.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Sarcoxie quarterback Nathan Freelend said. “The thing I like most about it is the offensive periods. It doesn’t get old at all.”
Does Freelend actually like practice more than games?
“Sometimes I do,” he admitted, “but games are a lot of fun, too.”
“What I like most about practice is I like to see us get better,” Sarcoxie’s Nate Bloss said. “I like to see a team that gets better every single day. I think that’s what it’s all about. You get better every day, you get better every week, before long you’re district champs, state champs.”
“I love to practice. It’s my favorite,” Seneca’s Travis Cole said. Then he added, “The games are right above that though.
“I like learning new stuff all the time, getting our timing down, working on every little detail we need to make everything right.”
“I love practice, the intensity, the hitting,” Webb City’s Adam Williams said. “I like hitting Mack Kyle. He’s my favorite hitting partner.”
“Being with your friends, having fun ... the only reason you play football is to have fun,” Kyle said.
But practice isn’t all fun and games all the time.
“Sometimes when things don’t go right during practice, like we’re not up to tempo, people start lollygagging around and we have to run some more, I don’t like that,” said Kaden Nicholos from Miami, Okla.
“It depends on the day,” Joplin’s Jeff Black said. “Yes, I like the reps, but I really love Friday nights, getting out on the field, seeing the crowds.”
“Practice is all right,” Webb City’s Parker Graham said, “but I like games more. I’m a gamer.”
Carl Junction lineman Austin Osborn made his thoughts perfectly clear.
“Do I like practice? No,” he replied. “I just prefer a game, the game intensity.”
Missouri football jamborees
7 p.m. Friday unless noted
At Missouri Southern — McAuley Catholic, Lamar, Stockton, Van Horn.
At Webb City — Joplin, Seneca.
At Carl Junction — Carthage, Monett.
At Pierce City — Mount Vernon, Nixa, Glendale.
At Parkview — Neosho, Cassville, Willard.
At Kickapoo — McDonald County, Aurora, Branson.
At East Newton — Buffalo, Pleasant Hope, Marionville.
At Sarcoxie — Jasper, Liberal, Diamond.
At Ash Grove — Lockwood, Greenfield, Strafford.
At Butler — Nevada, Archie, Clinton (6:30 p.m.)
At Springfield Catholic — Miller, El Dorado Springs, Fair Grove.
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