The preseason football jamboree never quite disappeared from the football landscape but it has not been a fixture in Indiana high school varsity football for many years.

On Friday, Shelbyville High School’s football program will travel south to Madison High School to compete in a jamboree with the host Cubs and the Salem Lions.

“I will tell you after Friday night if I like it or not,” said Shelbyville head coach Brian Glesing when asked if he liked the return to the jamboree from the traditional head-to-head scrimmage format. “I like that it will be a game atmosphere on the field. I know the scrimmages were getting a little choppy. We will see how it goes. It will be good for our kids to play a couple of other teams that we don’t normally see. I think that will be good for us.”

Shelbyville finished 1-6 in Glesing’s first season with the Golden Bears. Salem went 6-3 in 2021 while Madison finished 3-7.

The Madison Jamboree starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday with the junior varsity offenses from Madison and Salem each running eight plays within a 10-minute timeframe.

At 6:55 p.m., Shelbyville’s junior varsity will take the field against Salem. The Golden Bears will stay on the field at 7:20 p.m. for one more junior varsity session against Madison.

The varsity units are scheduled to take the field at 7:45 p.m. Madison and Salem will run 12 plays each in 15-minute time increments.

Shelbyville takes the field at 8:20 p.m. against Salem. The Lions return starting quarterback Kaleb Tucker (52-for-101 pass attempts, 835 yards, 9 touchdowns) but lost over 1,400 yards of rushing to graduation.

The final timeslot of the jamboree begins at 8:55 p.m. with the Golden Bears and Madison closing out the event. The Cubs are poised for a breakout season with quarterback Kaden Oliver (116-for-201, 1,410 yards, 12 TDs), wide receiver Colin Yancey (74 receptions, 1,024 yards, 10 TDs) and the top two leading rushers back in the mix.

Shelbyville will counter with junior quarterback Eli Chappelow (22-of-38, 292 yards, 2 TDs), the rushing trio of seniors Cael Lux (107 attempts, 478 yards, 4 TDs) and Jordan Marcum (13 attempts, 103 yards) and junior Axel Conover (36 attempts, 106 yards) and its top two returning receivers in senior Jackson Parker (16 catches, 196 yards) and junior Alex Macharia (9 catches, 101 yards).

“It’s surreal. I am ready to play,” said Lux (photo). “It’s going to be a good year.”

Shelbyville opens the 2022 season on Aug. 19 at J.M. McKeand Stadium against Greensburg. The Pirates have won four straight over the Golden Bears including a 42-21 win last season in Greensburg.

Triton Central

Triton Central travels to Milan Friday for its preseason scrimmage with the Indians. The organized scrimmage starts at 6 p.m.

Each varsity unit will run a total of 37 plays over three sessions starting at different yard markers on Milan’s new artificial turf.

The junior varsity units will then have the opportunity to run 16 plays over two sessions.

The scrimmage will not include punts, kickoffs or extra points.

Milan finished the 2021 season at 4-7 with the opportunity to return its starting quarterback and top two leading rushers and receivers.

As a junior, Brayden Rohrig completed 86-of-173 pass attempts for 1,003 yards and nine touchdowns. He also rushed for 342 yards and seven TDs.

Logan Reed (125 rushes, 549 yards, 11 TDs) and Riley Johnson (123 rushes, 568 yards, 3 TDs) both return to the backfield.

Leading receivers Jonny Volk (29 catches, 252 yards) and Ethan Pierce (19 catches, 297 yards, 5 TDs) also are back for the Indians.

Triton Central returns its own wealth of offensive talent but head coach Tim Able will be in no hurry to showcase it Friday night.

“We want to stay healthy, do the simple execution of stuff and be mentally focused,” he said. “We need to be sharp and precise as much as we can early in the season, stay away from the silly stuff and be prepared. It’s a stepping stone for our next week.”

Triton Central will host Cascade at Mendenhall Field on Aug. 19 for an Indiana Crossroads Conference contest.

The Tigers’ offensive capabilities start with returning quarterback Jace Stuckey (93-of-184, 1,386 yards, 12 TDs).

Ray Crawford, a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his first two seasons, returns to the backfield with junior Brayden Wilkins joining him for a powerful 1-2 punch.

Healthy once again, senior Brad Schultz (26 catches, 416 yards, 4 TDs) leads an athletic wide receiver group that now includes Luke Faust, a Franklin Central transfer who did not play football last season.

“I want to win,” said Schultz (photo) when asked what he wants out of his final season as a Tiger. “I think we can make something special happen but we are young and we have to stay focused to reach our goals.”

Johnny McCrory, Mark Drake and Jeff Brown will be live Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Madison High School with a High School Football Season Preview Show. As Shelbyville competes in a preseason jamboree, McCrory, Drake and Brown will breakdown the upcoming football season for the Golden Bears, Triton Central Tigers and Waldron’s new 8-man football team. For the best coverage of local high school football, listen to GIANT fm Country 96.5/106.3 or download the GIANT fm app and check out the Shelby County Post at www.shelbycountypost.com.