Second annual Free State Kickoff jamboree is Friday at WCHS

DOUBLE SPRINGS - The second annual David Norwood Free State Kickoff football jamboree will be Friday, Aug. 15, at Winston County High School's Malcolm Blake Stadium.

There will be seven varsity games, each lasting two quarters, starting at 5:30 p.m., when WCHS faces off with Cullman. Then those teams as well as Tuscaloosa Academy, Hubbertville, Cordova, Curry and New Hope will face off in various combinations. Finishing things off will be a one-quarter JV game between WCHS and Curry.

"It's never going to be as big as it is this year," said WCHS Head Coach Caleb Simmons. "There's no way it can be. There's more teams, and there's bigger teams."

While last year, several 1A and 2A teams participated in the jamboree, this year, all but three teams are 4-, 5- or 6A teams, Simmons noted.

There will be inflatables, food trucks and other vendors set up around the stadium, including Local 205, Sweet Foam Alabama, Slim Chickens, Gumbo to Geaux, Pop's Fresh Hot Corn and many more.

The football team, band, cheerleaders, basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball teams, the Mini Jackets, the Beta, HOSA and FCCLA officers, and the golf, track and cross country teams will be recognized, starting with the band and football team at 5 p.m. and continuing between games throughout the night.

The gates open at 4:30 p.m. Admission is $10. Everyone is invited to come out and support the Jackets at this fundraiser as they kick off the 2025 season.