Jamboree successful; Cards return good nucleus

Friday night football, spring jamboree style, filled the football field last week beside the railroad track in Potts Camp, and the veteran of Marshall County head coaches enjoyed rolling out the welcome mat.

“It went well,” said Chris Daniels, head coach of the Cardinals and organizer of the big event. “All of our county schools come and participate, and that’s one of the reasons we do it. It cuts down on travel. It’s just a big plus all the way around.”

Joining Potts Camp for varsity action were Byhalia, Holly Springs and H.W. Byers, plus Independence, Falkner and Hillcrest. The jamboree contests, each featuring 10 plays on offense and 10 on defense, also included junior high teams. Varsity played on one side of the field, 50 yards, and junior high the other.

“We’re one of the few jamborees that includes junior high,” Daniels said, “and that’s important. Most are high school only. More kids are getting the chance to play.”

As for his own varsity squad, the Cardinals featured a spring roster of 31 players with a good nucleus returning from 2025.

“I expect, if we stay healthy, that we should be contending for a district championship,” he said.

Daniels will start his fourth season at Potts Camp, his 14^th in the district (previously H.W. Byers) and his 27^th year in coaching overall. He won a district crown at Potts Camp in his first season there.

“We’re going to have to improve on the offensive line,” he said. “We’re young there. We’re making mistakes, and that’s the big thing for us, getting better up front.”

Offensively, he saw bright spots in the jamboree, including not turning the ball over.

“Defensively, we played well in spurts, until we got tired,” Daniels said. “We have to learn to make plays. We had a chance to make some interceptions, and we didn’t. When you have that chance, you have to take advantage of it.”

His Cardinals will kick off the 2026 season on Friday night, Aug. 28, at home versus Strayhorn. District foes in Region 2-1A are Byers, Ashland and Falkner, with those coming up the last three weeks of the regular season. He has two open dates on the schedule but still hopes to fill one of those. One was created when Thrasher made the decision to suspend its football program.

“We’re looking forward to the season,” Daniels said. “We need to stay healthy. Even though we have 31 players, which is a good number for a 1A program, there are certain positions where you cannot afford injuries – like the offensive line.”