Roundup: Coverage from North Carolina high school football scrimmages 2026

Throughout North Carolina, high school football preseason scrimmages began on Friday, Aug. 7. Games, jamborees, and 7-on-7s will occur throughout next week, running from Aug. 7-15. The opening Friday of the regular season will be Aug. 21.

HighSchoolOT is putting on two jamborees of its own. You can buy tickets for the events at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Monday, Aug. 10 and Wake Forest High School on Friday, Aug. 14. Coverage of those events will be separate from this story. The purpose of this is to provide updates on non-HighSchoolOT jamborees and scrimmages.

• Read more and buy tickets for HighSchoolOT Jamboree on Aug. 10
• Read more and buy tickets for HighSchoolOT Jamboree on Aug. 14

• View and purchase photos: J.H. Rose Jamboree (Aug. 11, 2026)

The Rampants missed out on a full scrimmage at the HighSchoolOT Jamboree due to weather. The good news is that they already had a backup jamboree planned at home for Tuesday.

Kinston, North Pitt, Bertie, Northeastern, and South Central all visited the Greenville school for 44-minute scrimmages. South Central defeated Bertie, 20-0. Northeastern took down North Pitt, 18-12. Rose dominated Kinston to the tune of a 36-0 finish. The Rampants also had a few touchdowns called back.

We have a full photo gallery from the event and highlights here!

The Seaforth Hawks traveled to Fuquay-Varina and Willow Spring for drills, 7-on-7s, and a full-pad scrimmage Friday morning. The Hawks are fresh off a 6-6 record under head coach Tolbert Matthews. Seaforth opens the regular season at home against Chapel Hill on Aug. 21.

The hosting Storm also finished the 2025 season 6-6 under the leadership of head coach Jason Wilkes. Willow Spring opens the season on the road at Triton on Aug. 21. Below you can find highlights from Friday's action and an interview with Willow Spring senior kicker Moses Barker, who is committed to NC State.

• Preseason coaches interview with Willow Spring head coach Jason Wilkes

It was a battle of the Vikings as defending 2A state champion Tarboro traveled to play 7A opponent D.H. Conley on Friday. The Vikings are led by long-time head coach and nine-time state champion with the Vikings as head coach: Jeff Craddock. Tarboro will begin its season at home on Aug. 21 versus Rocky Mount.

• Preseason coaches interview with Tarboro head coach Jeff Craddock

D.H. Conley is coached by Nate Conner. He led the Vikings to an 8-4 record as Conley placed second in the Big Carolina 6A/7A in 2025. The scrimmage's host will start the 2026 season at Laney on Aug. 21.

Louisburg, Felton Grove, and South Johnston met for a jamboree hosted in Kenly by North Johnston Friday night. The teams participated in a round robin in which all four teams played three scrimmages that lasted 30 minutes with a running clock.

The hosting Panthers are coming off a 6-6 season and are led by head coach Kyle Schenk. They will open their regular season at Beddingfield. As for the visitors, Felton Grove will open official play at Northern Durham in two weeks. The JV Galaxy went 6-4 in the program's inaugural season in 2025. This will be their first varsity campaign. The team's first-ever head coach is John Mozerka.

• Preseason coaches interview with Felton Grove head coach John Mozerka

Louisburg starts play on Aug. 21 with a trip to Southeast Halifax. The Warriors are on the heels of an 8-3 breakout season under head coach Dontae Lassiter. Meanwhile, South Johnston --- which will play in the Aug. 14 HighSchoolOT Jamboree --- begins the year with a home game against Smithfield-Selma. The Trojans are looking to improve after ending 2025 at 8-4 overall under head coach Jacob Cuddington.

• Preseason coaches interview with Louisburg head coach Dontae Lassiter

First-year Topsail High School head football coach T.J. Albert took his new team up from the beach to Cary to take on Green Hope for a two-hour scrimmage. Topsail has recently faced some struggles, including a winless season last year. However, the Pirates have considerably improved their numbers and benefited from the addition of Albert's sons Zack (a senior) and Kyle (a freshman).

• Preseason coaches interview with Topsail head coach T.J. Albert

Green Hope, which made progress last season and finished with a 6-5 overall record, seemed to be surprised by Topsail's physicality and size. Green Hope managed to connect with senior receiver Jack Slone, but the Falcons clearly missed 6-foot-4 receiver A.J. Davis, who was out of town but will be back.

• Preseason coaches interview with Green Hope head coach Mitch Johnson

The jamboree at Mount Tabor High School was cut short thanks to some bad weather. HighSchoolOT photographer Adrian Lawrence stuck around for a scrimmage between the host Spartans and Walkertown. Mount Tabor, a 6A school, is coming off a 5-6 finish in 2025. Walkertown, of the 3A classification, is looking to continue momentum after a 9-2 season a year ago. The Wolfpack begin their season at home against Atkins in week one. The Spartans will host rival Reagan.

From the Bladen Journal:

FAIRMONT — The final score, unofficially and not that it mattered, was Purnell Swett 14, West Bladen 6.

Of more importance was an opportunity to square off against an opponent in game situations on the football field.

West Bladen opened the Robeson Jamboree on Friday, Aug. 7 at Fairmont High School in a scrimmage two weeks prior to its season opener.

“It was a good day to get out and get some competition against somebody other than ourselves,” West Bladen coach Preston Worley said. “I thought we did well, better than I thought we were going to do. You never can tell the temperature of your team until you get into that first scrimmage. That’s the true test of what you’ve got going into the season.”

Read More here.