Dawson County Middle School football traveled to Jasper Middle School for a preseason jamboree against Jasper and Fannin County middle schools last week.

Coach Thomy Edwards and his staff got a chance to see his team in action against a different opponent during the Aug. 16 action.

"I was really pleased with the way we played yesterday. I thought the boys played great. The offensive line blocked well and the running backs ran the ball hard," Edwards said.

Turnovers and costly penalties were prevalent during both scrimmage games. But there was a lot of positive attributes on both sides of the football, according to coaches.

"On defense our linebackers flowed to the football. Our defensive backs covered the pass well and the defensive line held strong. A few things that we need to work on are to stop all those little penalties we had," Edwards said.

The Tigers will open the regular season this week with a game against rival Riverview Middle School.

The game will be played at 7p.m. Saturday at Dawson County High School.

Edwards said his team will be hard at work preparing for their cross-town rivals. He said the "little things" will be the focus of this week's practices.

"In order to win we must execute like we know how. Every player has a responsibility on the field. The other thing we must do is try to stop all those little penalties. It seems we have something good happen only for it to be voided by a penalty," he said.

Edwards said that ball control will be important for his team on offense during Saturday's game.