By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Are you ready for some football?

In one week, the Ed Reed River Parish Jamboree will mark the unofficial start to the 2007 prep football season in the area. On August 23 and 24, eight local schools will square off, showcasing the finest gridiron talent in the River Parishes.

Next Thursday, St. James will face Hahnville at 6:30, immediately followed by Destrehan versus Lutcher. Both games will take place at Destrehan.

Then on Friday, St. Charles Catholic and Riverside will meet at 6:30 at East St. John. Immediately following that game will be a matchup between East St. John and West St. John.

The games will each be a 30 minute exhibition that will not count in the standings, but rather provide what East St. John Coach Larry Dauterive terms a &#8220dress rehearsal” for the upcoming season, as well as a preview for fans to see what their teams will look like in 2007.

&#8220You can’t get enough scrimmages in before the season,” Dauterive said. &#8220You want to treat it like a regular game because next week, you’re playing for real.”

Hahnville Coach Lou Valdin says that the jamboree will provide some valuable experience for his young team – particularly at a stadium that would certainly qualify as enemy territory for his Tigers.

&#8220It’s the first time we won’t be hosting our jamboree,” Valdin said. &#8220I’m looking forward to going (to Destrehan) to play, it will give us some good experience playing on the road against an extremely tough opponent in St. James, under the lights.”

Valdin, Dauterive, and St. Charles Coach Frank Monica all stressed the importance of getting their special teams on the field in these games, particularly being able to see how they mesh in game situations.

&#8220That’s my main focus, to get as many special team reps on the field as I can,” Valdin said.

Monica said that while he’d like to see the jamboree format tweaked in the future to include an 11th game that counts in the standings, said that his team would be ready to play against its former district foe Riverside.

&#8220We’re going to prepare as if it’s a normal game,” Monica said. &#8220We expect to play hard and be prepared, it gets us ready for the season.”

Lutcher Coach Tim Detillier says that how his team fares in a host of early season games against strong 5A programs will determine in large part how his season ends. The jamboree matchup with Destrehan will help prepare the Bulldogs for their early season schedule.

&#8220They’ll be some be rough waters early on, facing great teams like Destrehan and Higgins,” Detillier said. &#8220Games like these prepare you more than anything on a practice field.”

Dauterive was pleased that East St. John is able to host half of the jamboree this year, and said that the event provides an opportunity for local players to face off with others in the area they otherwise would not have been able to.

&#8220It’s all local,” Dauterive said. We have kids that have been playing one another on the playground from kindergarten up. It’s a good thing.”

&#8220I urge people to come support their teams. It’s a chance for the schools to do well, and it’s 30 minutes of exposure for the teams.”

Tickets bought before the jamboree will be $5 and are available at each school involved. At the gate, tickets will be $6.