JOHNSTON – Football teams from Region 3-AA gave fans a sneak peak at their 2009 squads during jamboree action on Saturday evening at Strom Thurmond High School.

The region’s six teams paired off to play three “games” which amounted to a half – or a total of 24 minutes – of live football. Unlike many jamborees which only play between 12 and 18 minutes and do not have live punt and kickoff situations, the live format allows teams to work on special teams along with offensive and defensive schemes.

In the three scrimmages Newberry took on Mid-Carolina, Saluda went head-to-head with Batesburg-Leesville and Strom Thurmond battled Gilbert in the final stanza.

Strom Thurmond head coach Lee Sawyer said his team – the defending region champions – appeared to play much better overall than had been the case in recent scrimmages.

“I was kind of in a funk (after Friday’s jamboree at Abbeville against Ninety Six),” said Sawyer. “We turned the ball over twice and just seemed to come out flat after that. I was more pleased tonight as we seemed to come out with a little more attitude about us. Defensively, we looked better tonight and our kickoff coverage looked a little better.”

The Rebels defeated Gilbert 24-0 in their scrimmage, while Batesburg-Leesville held off Saluda 13-9 and Newberry got an early lead and held off Mid-Carolina 27-14.

Scrimmage Recaps

Newberry 27, Mid-Carolina 14

Class 2-A message boards have been abuzz for months saying that the Newberry Bulldogs would be back to traditional form in 2009 and their performance against the Mid-Carolina Rebels did nothing to dissuade such talk.

The Bulldogs controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Newberry opened the scoring at the 19:55 mark with running back Montagus Caldwell sprinting into the end zone on a 12-yard score. On the team’s next possession, the Bulldogs went to the air with quarterback Brandon Ahrens connecting with fullback Tyrone Neal on a 43-yard scoring strike for a 14-0 lead.

The Bulldogs took a 21-0 lead at the 14:49 mark when defensive back William Senn scooped up a Mid-Carolina fumble good for a 42-yard score.

The Rebels got on the scoreboard in dramatic fashion with 12 minutes to go in the scrimmage when a pass from quarterback Krishawn Holley, which was batted in the air by a Newberry defender, was caught on a dead run by M-C receiver Kyle Curcio, who broke a couple of tackles and found the end zone.  

Newberry responded by going to the air again, this time on a 40-yard sideline bomb from quarterback Tyler Bishop to receiver James Tribble for a 27-7 margin after the PAT failed.

Mid-Carolina ended the scoring on a nice run by back Kevin Holland for a 64-yard score. Holland was one of the bright spots for the Rebels, rushing for 106 yards on three carries.

Batesburg-Leesville 13, Saluda 9

A 35-yard field goal by Saluda kicker Brian Bushey capped a solid drive by the Tigers to open the scoring in the scrimmage with a 3-0 lead over the Panthers at the 18:39 mark.

Batesburg-Leesville, displaying tremendous versatility with a number of talented backs taking handoffs from senior signal-caller K.J. Johnson, moved the ball down the field and scored on a 15-yard sweep around the right side of the line by tailback Elliott Jeffcoat.

The Panthers missed the PAT to take a 6-3 lead.

Both teams swapped possessions before B-L running back Tyrelle Leaphart sprinted ahead on a nice run for a 30-yard touchdown capping a nice offensive drive. Kicker Omar Hair sent the PAT through for a 13-3 advantage.

The Tigers continued to drive the ball, and reached the end zone once more with seconds remaining on the clock on a 22-yard pass play from quarterback Drey Mitchell to wideout Darias Echols, who made a great leaping effort over a B-L defender to haul in the pass.

The PAT attempt was wide right.

Strom Thurmond 24, Gilbert 0

The defending region champion Rebels of Strom Thurmond picked up right where they left off in region play in 2008 with a dominating performance on both sides of the ball in Saturday's scrimmage with the Gilbert Indians in a 24-0 win.

Starting wide receiver and reserve tailback Nick Williamson, starting in place of injured Rebel backs Chris Blocker and Tony Stepney, had a terrific night in rushing for two touchdowns and accumulating well over 200 rushing yards.

Thurmond kicker Sam Northrop also put his leg on display with a 35-yard field goal. Defensively, the Rebels' "Blue Steel" unit held the Indians to limited offensive yards in forcing punts on each of Gilbert's possessions.