The Jamboree of Champions will be held on Friday, August 16, at the Dillon Memorial Stadium located at 101 Chapman Avenue, Dillon, S.C.
Dillon Athletic Director Keith Coward presented the rules for the Jamboree to everyone. There will be a $10 entry fee to be paid at the gate, and no bags will be allowed into the stadium. All fans will be required to pass through metal detectors. The rules to be followed are: two 10-minute quarters with a regular clock. Each team will get one timeout per quarter. First possession will be determined by a coin flip. The football will be placed at the 30-yard line. No kickoff/returns – punts and extra point attempts will be dead (no rush, no return – take possession where the punt is fielded.
There will be ten teams in the Jamboree.
Game 1 will be at 5:30 p.m. with West Florence vs Richmond County. 5-AAAAA West Florence Head Coach Jody Jenerette is excited to be a part of the Jamboree. The West Florence Knights were 5-6 last year. Coach Jenerette begins his 28th year as a coach. He only lost one player to the “transport portal”. The West Florence Knights should be good on defense. The team has 2 returners on offense. His team will learn from this matchup against Richmond County.
Richmond County’s head coach was not present at the meeting on Wednesday, July 10. Associate Head Coach Greg Williams stated that Richmond County had 2 lackluster years in a row. This year there are 14 to16 players returning from last year’s squad. The defensive front should be good as the offense should also be good. We look forward to learning from this game.
Game 2 at 6:30 p.m. Chesterfield vs. Lake View. Chesterfield first-year Head Coach Matt Quinn was the Athletic Director at Marlboro County High School until June of this year. Prior to that, Quinn had coached at North Augusta High School and Westwood High School in Blythewood and was named Region 4-AAAA Coach of the Year in 2021. Coach Quinn stated that he was excited to be at Chesterfield where he arrived at the beginning of June. He is working to learn the names of all of his players. He stated that Chesterfield has a strong offensive line, good defense, and the skill guys are good. He also said the team looked good while playing 7-on-7.
Lake View Head Coach Daryl King has a good crowd of boys. Lake View participated in the 7-on-7, now they work from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. lifting, running, and a little of football. The Wild Gators have a 3-year quarterback, a 3-year running back, and 3 linebackers returning from last year. However, Lake View lost all of the defensive backs. The team looks good in practice but he really doesn’t know anything about how good or bad the team may actually be. We will know more after the Jamboree.
Game 3 at 7:30 p.m. Darlington vs. Latta. 4-AAAA Darlington Head Coach Jamie Johnson is excited about the Darlington Falcons team as he believes the team should be fun to watch. One offensive tackle weighs 353 pounds, and the center weighs 351 pounds. He has a good special quarterback. We look forward to playing some tough football. Last year Darlington won more games than the previous 4 years combined. Darlington is thankful to be able to participate in this Jamboree.
Latta Head Coach Brandon Iseman had a good team last year. He graduated 15 of them. This year he has about 50 kids on the team who need some experience. This should be a good test against Darlington. We look forward to the game. We are happy to be a part of the Jamboree.
Game 4 at 8:30 p.m. Hartsville vs. Scotland County. Hartsville Head Coach Jeff Calabrese could not be present today at the meeting as he had a previous commitment with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Therefore, Coach Brian Feus stated that Hartsville returned most of the defense, linebackers Coleman Radcliffe who was last year’s leading tackler, Web Barnes who missed last season with an injury, and Xavier Robinson returns as an outside linebacker and a defensive back. Hartsville should be strong on defense as the key players return this year. The quarterback position should be E. J. Smith who was a key receiver last year replaces 3-year starter McKendrie Douglas.
Scotland County Head Coach Richard Bailey whose team won 10 games last year, hopes to slow Hartsville on offense. Scotland County has lots of skill players returning plus 5 or 6 defensive players also returning this year. Coach Bailey is excited to play in this Jamboree. Coach Bailey stated that the first four games of the season should be good.
Game 5 at 9:30 p.m. Cheraw vs. Dillon. Cheraw Head Coach Andy Poole has already lost 10 players to injury this season. However, he hopes to have them back by time the season begins. Although I am excited about the Jamboree, the first 5 games of the season should be terrible for us. We have returned 9 on defense, the offensive line averages about 290 pounds, and the quarterback is good.
Dillon Head Coach Kelvin Roller said that Dillon was a small team including the line this year. The skill guys are good. Dillon had some great players last year who are returning such as Jamarion Fling who had 11 interceptions as a sophomore. Dominick Felton has put on some size as a running back, and Dillon has some good receivers. Dillon must develop some linemen. It will be difficult to replace such players as Josiah Thompson who played tackle and went to the University of South Carolina and Benjamin West who went to West Georgia. Keryien Brown, a junior, will be on defense along with Azavion DeBerry and Tamarien Rogers from last year’s team. Dillon’s skill players on offense will also play defensive corners and backs. Dillon will play a tough non-conference schedule this year plus a tough playoff schedule. Coach Roller also remarked that Dillon has some injuries last year in the playoffs. Most coaches spend more time with other coaches and players than with their own families. Dillon has some really good kids. At a later date, Dillon will scrimmage Carolina Forest and St. James.
