By Brad Greer

With high school baseball heading into post- season play, it is never to early to think football season is four short months away.

Locals fans got a sneak peek of some gridiron action  as both  Pope and Batesville Junior High teams concluded spring drills with a six-team jamboree Thursday afternoon at Robert H. Dunlap Stadium.

Each team played two games on opposite ends of the field at the same time and while no score was kept in any of the contests, there was plenty of scoring by both teams.

Pope took on Water Valley on the north end of the field while Batesville tangled with Lafayette Co. on the south side.

Water Valley scored on the first three possessions of the scrimmage before the Bulldogs answered with three scores of their own.  Daniel Fleming hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Mark Gooch for the Blue Devils first score. Gooch then ran in from five yards out on the next series before Taurek Willis added a nine-yard touchdown run.

Demetrivs Market scored all three Pope touchdowns on a pair of 40-yard runs and a 12-yard run.

Batesville meanwhile took on Olive Branch in the second scrimmage while Pope tangled with Charleston. Oluwain Hoskins and John Ellis scored one touchdown each for the Tigers. Keenan Johnson and Tyler Faribee led the defensive charge by recovering a pair a fumbles.