Fans get taste of football season in jamboree at Northeast High School

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – We’re officially a week away from the 2022 high school football season, beginning Friday night.

Last night’s events gave high school football fans a taste of what their team is bringing to the table this season. Montgomery County had two jamborees taking place. Three scrimmages were held at Northeast High, while three additional scrimmages were held at Clarksville High.

For the fans who attended the jamboree at Northeast, the evening was dominated by defense. The teams that faced one another included Rossview vs. Northwest, Montgomery Central vs. Fort Campbell and Northeast vs. Fort Campbell.

The night ended with Northwest and Montgomery Central securing clutch victories against their opponents. Meanwhile, Northeast made a statement in their win to end the night.

Rossview vs. Northwest

Throughout the first game, it was a defensive battle. Rossview High had the advantage early on due to Northwest’s inability to take care of the football. On their first offensive possession of the game, a bad snap led to a Vikings turnover inside their own territory.

However, Northwest’s defense stepped up to the plate. The Hawks failed to find the end zone during their first red zone opportunity. Rossview settled and kicked a field goal to make it a 3-0 game.

The score remained 3-0 for the majority of the scrimmage. Each defense showcased just how dominant they could be during the two quarters of play.

One of the biggest takeaways is that Northwest lost the turnover battle 3-0. They still went on to hold Rossview’s offense to only scoring 3 points on the night. It’s important to factor in the two missed field goals and turnover on downs by the Hawks, but the Vikings red zone defense spoke volumes.

In Rossview’s case, they held Northwest to minimal offensive production up until Northwest’s last possession. Prior to that Viking’s drive, they had a forced fumble and two interceptions. Their ability to disrupt passing lanes was key to their performance.

The game came down to a 55 yard completion from Raymond Rodarte on 2nd and 10. Rodarte followed up the long pass with an accurate completion on a flat route to put the team inside the 10 yard line.

Eventually, Northwest ran the ball in for a go-ahead touchdown. The Vikings defense held off Rossview’s offense to secure the 7-3 victory.

Montgomery Central vs Fort Campbell

Montgomery Central vs. Fort Campbell went down to the last minute of play. Similar to the previous matchup, the Indians secured great field position on their first offensive possession of the game too.

After a muffed punt by Fort Campbell, Montgomery Central jumped on the ball inside their opponent’s own 10 yard line. The Indians took advantage of the Falcons miscue by scoring the opening touchdown of the game.

Fort Campbell responded immediately. Falcons starting quarterback Darin Fredrick found an open rushing lane in the middle of the field for a 40 yard gain. The offense couldn’t put anything together following the big play, and ended up turning the ball over on downs.

Each team found ways to make plays, but they weren’t able to consistently move the ball down the field until Fort Campbell found their rhythm on the offensive side. In the second quarter, the Falcons found themselves on the 50 yard line.

After consistently rushing the ball, Fort Campbell pushed into the end zone for a chance to tie the game. Nevertheless, the extra point attempt was no good.

The next play following the missed extra point, Montgomery Central botched a handoff that Fort Campbell captured. The Falcons’ ability to move the ball on the ground carried over to the next drive which led to a 1st and goal opportunity. Eventually, Fredrick stepped back into the pocket and threw a goal line fade that was completed for the touchdown. Fort Campbell took a 13-7 lead with the score and made extra point.

The Indians wasted no time the following drive as they look to make the comeback. The team completed a 31 yard pass to kick off the possession. Three additional completions led Montgomery Central into the red zone. Running back Andrew White capped off the drive with a game tying touchdown. The Indians went on to break the tie with a made extra point, and won by a score of 14-13.

Northeast vs. Fort Campbell

The night ended with the Northeast Eagles taking on the Fort Campbell Falcons. This was the lone game that didn’t come down to the wire. In actuality, the scrimmage was decided after one quarter of play. This is due to the Eagles’ ability to execute in every phase of the game.

Northeast’s defense set their offense up for success throughout the contest. The Eagles shut down passing lanes all over the field, and swarmed ball carriers anytime the Falcons made an attempt to rush the ball. This led Northeast to having solid field position whenever their offensive team came onto the field. The home team’s defense finished with two interceptions, a forced turnover on downs and a multitude of three and outs.

The Eagle’s offensive production was built around quarterback Jaiden Puig’s ability to run the offense, and the skill set on each of their skill position players.

Northeast’s running back showcased his breakaway speed throughout the night, and their wide receivers consistently found ways to create separation from coverage. In total, the Eagles had at least had four plays where they gained 40 or more yards. This includes three consecutive +40 yard touchdowns through the air or ground.

When it was all said and done, Northeast beat Fort Campbell by a score of 44-0 to close out the evening.