Before the 2016-17 football season officially kicks off, Poplarville High School’s Hornets will scrimmage the Biloxi Indians to put the pieces together and prepare for their first game against St. Martin High School.

The two teams held a jamboree last year, which ended in Biloxi’s favor, but was beneficial for both teams searching to build their experience and prepare for opening matchups.

 “We have a lot of experience this year, something we have not been lucky to have in a while now. I think playing against Biloxi will be a perfect way to enter the new season because they are a similar team to St. Martin,” Poplarville Head Coach Jay Beech said.

Beech said Biloxi’s star receiver, Tim Jones, is going to be a challenge. 

With over 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns logged in his past two seasons, Jones will test the Hornets’ defense.

“St. Martin has a really good wide receiver, so Jones will be a great matchup to help get us ready for that,” Beech said.

The Hornets are experienced in nearly every position, except the offensive line and defensive end. 

Beech said the offensive line needs to work as one and this game will provide the experience to help them.

“I am excited for this year. An experienced team is a great asset to have. This game will tell us where we stand before we start the season. We are definitely going to go out against Biloxi and try to get a victory,” Beech said.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Biloxi Indians Head Coach Bobby Hall has the same approach.

“We want to win. This game matters to us just like any other. We have to build on our mindset as well as our skill set in order to be fully prepared for the season,” Hall said. “This is a great way to see exactly what you need to work on and what can be fixed in order to start off the season running, instead of backtracking to fix problems you couldn’t see in practice.”

St. Martin High School is ranked in the top 10 on MaxPreps.com for Mississippi, so Poplarville must ensure they are prepared for a difficult opening game. 

Beech likes the look of his team right now, but the true test lies in the jamboree.

“I like where our team is at. We have great depth and experience, which I feel is a good thing to have in order to have a great season,” Beech said.

The junior varsity teams will play the first two quarters of the jamboree, followed by the varsity teams for the final two quarters.

“This game isn’t just beneficial for our varsity group, but also the JV team. If someone has a great game and shows potential, they could move up to varsity,” Beech said.

The jamboree starts at 6 p.m. on August 12 at Biloxi High School.