6 things we learned from the Porty City Classic Football Jamboree

It's been a good minute since the old BB&T Jamboree brought together Wilmington's high school football teams at Legion Stadium. 2018, to be exact. On Friday, Aug. 14, however, that empty run came to an end, as the city's four public-school football teams gave all their fans a small glimpse at what c

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It's been a good minute since the old BB&T Jamboree brought together Wilmington's high school football teams at Legion Stadium.

2018, to be exact.

On Friday, Aug. 14, however, that empty run came to an end, as the city's four public-school football teams gave all their fans a small glimpse at what could happen when the games become official next week.

Ashley, Hoggard, Laneyand New Hanover all got two quarters to work out the kinks, give some players their first real varsity experience and see some familiar names get sharp ahead of Week 1 games on Aug. 21.

It was a roaster of an evening on the turf; kickoff was pushed back an hour before Friday, and another 15 minutes on Friday afternoon. But everyone got their reps.

Here's what we learned about Wilmington

city high school football heading into NCHSAA season.

Hoggard football will threaten again in NCHSAA Class 8A

The Vikings' defense gave up a few yards to East Duplin on the opening drive of the third scrimmage, and their first offensive possession stopped on an interception in the red zone.

After that, Hoggard showed all the versatility and explosiveness which gave it a 12-0 start last season.

The Vikings' expected playmakers on defense and offense showed out, but the running game was the top of the list for coach Craig Underwood.

Wrapped around the quarter changeover, Hoggard forced turnovers on three consecutive possessions and scored a defensive touchdown. That let the offense open itself up and steadily pull away.

"The biggest thing is that we we attack, we play aggressively," Underwood said. "There's no hesitation. I think we can build on what we just did and go into the week with some confidence."

First-year head coaches embrace debut under the lights

This was technically the second scrimmage for the city's two new coaches ― Laney's Coraey Houser and Ashley's Adam Purzitza.

The jamboree atmosphere, though, adds a little extra adrenaline to the situation. Previously assistants, both knew this night was about taking your time.

"I told the guys this morning, it was an emotional day for me," Houser said. "I'm just very thankful for my coaching staff, and my players believe in me."

"It was a lot different. You gotta be more in tune with the whole entire game, it's not just one side of the ball. You gotta really be focused, switch that headset back and forth between offense and defense," said Purzitza, who added that the "operational" things were at 100 percent, with no missed substitutions or player mixups.

Teams with youth seek emotional balance

New Hanover's probably the youngest of the four city teams, and the Wildcats wore both their exuberance and frustration on their sleeves.

Make a good play? Celebrate accordingly. Have a couple fumbles? Obvious slumping toward the sideline.

Coach John Fuller knows it's about patience. New Hanover was shut out on offense, but its defense allowed only one big play and also scored on a fumble return.

"Some of these guys have never played on Friday night, they've got to figure it out," he said. "That's up to us as coaches that we're getting them in the right space. But they're a competitive bunch, and I look forward to us bouncing back."

Ashley had some of the same emotions after Havelock jumped out to two quick touchdowns, including a lightning-fast sprint by Rams WR Austin Livingston. The Screaming Eagles traded punches the rest of the way, a sign Purzitza was hoping to see.

"When things go wrong, we have to think, 'next play ... I'm really happy with the way we competed tonight. Havelock's one of the best teams in the state year in, year out, but I'm happy we competed.

Offensive line will make, break area teams

New Laney quarterback Joseph Stough has the arm angles to make throws at every level of the field, and just enough shiftiness to get himself open to throw it to a bevy of wide receivers, led by a solid night by Kilby Thesis-Dixon. Running backs Jeremiah Brown and Jordin Cauble will cause problems.

For Houser, this next week is about reinforcing offensive line play.

"We've got 10 offensive linemen. We want to find a complete five that way we can keep going and keep grinding like we did tonight."

Purzitza has the same concern at Ashley. New quarteback Raleigh Sutton proved he's got some mettle, and some game. A few of the hits he took from Havelock, however, raised eyebrows, and elicited a gasp or two from his teammates on the sideline.

In the second quarter, a scramble in the red zone picked up a first down, and the ensuing hit sent his helmet seven yards downfield. Purzitza, at one point, yelled to anyone who would listen on his sideline, "Our quarterback is on the ground on every play!"

A jamboree at Legion just feels right

West Brunswick's Bash at the Beach was the landing spot for the final scrimmage over the past 4 seasons, and the Trojans have put on a heck of an event over two days. They had their own 10-team event this year, also running Friday night.

That said, Legion and Wilmington football have too long of a history for this sort of thing to not happen.

"I got to play in tis event many, many years ago," said Houser, a Hoggard grad. "I'm glad they got this experience and got to play in front of all these fans."

Hoggard's Craig Underwood, the dean of area head coaches, was glad to see a solid crowd and feel the rush of being under the lights off Carolina Beach Road.

"The jamboree back in Wilmington -- it really does have a game atmosphere. Our guys, they feel that Friday night energy, even though it is a scrimaage."