FERRIDAY, LA. — Stingy defenses, commitment to the running game and sweltering, sticky heat characterized Friday’s 2000 Huntington Jamboree in Ferriday.

Huntington Academy, Pine Hills Academy, Wilkinson County Christian Academy and Chamberlain-Hunt Academy faced off in four individual 15-minute scrimmages.

Huntington running back Luke Davis (5-6, 150) was the star of the first scrimmage, earning 52 yards on 10 carries against the CHA defense.

&uot;Luke was hurt last week, and he wasn’t at full speed, but he’s got good football sense and he’s a hard runner,&uot; said first-year Huntington coach Gerald Reeves. &uot;(Fullback) Ken Clayton is a great blocker, and he had a lot to do with Luke’s success running tonight.&uot;

Hounds quarterback Barrett Arthur (6-0, 155) showed good maneuverability, escaping several near-sacks, once for a 15-yard scramble.

Huntington’s best drive of the scrimmage, 46 yards from Davis and Arthur runs, was stopped short at the CHA 3-yard line as time expired.

The scrimmage ended in a 0-0 tie.

WCCA’s Josh Prince (5-10, 164) was a one man show in the second scrimmage, as his 40-yard touchdown run was the difference in the 8-0 decision over Pine Hills.

&uot;The hole was there, and I popped it,&uot; Prince said of the run. &uot;It was on from there.&uot;

Prince later sniffed out a Pine Hills reverse and made a tackle for a significant loss, ending what was Pine Hills’ only threatening drive of the scrimmage.

Pine Hills most notable player, quarterback Jonathan Honea (6-5, 235), was sidelined with minor tendonitis in his knee, according to Wildcats coach Andy Hopkins.

&uot;We didn’t want to risk him tonight,&uot; Hopkins said. &uot;He’s expected to start in our opening game.&uot;

Pine Hills quarter backing duties were handled by committee, as David Brown (5-6, 135), Dan Stevens (5-10, 165) and Jeff Whittington (6-2, 170) all saw action at the position.

&uot;I think they all played exceptionally well, considering we were using second-, third- and fourth-string quarterbacks who only had two or three days experience at the position,&uot; Hopkins said.

The third scrimmage was a defensive battle, as WCCA and CHA fought to a 0-0 tie.

Rams quarterback Brandon Jensen’s passing game struggled. Jensen (5-10, 162) was picked off by T.C. Clason just two minutes into the scrimmage, and he later overthrew an open receiver 20 yards downfield.

WCCA coach Warren Whitaker isn’t worried about his quarterback situation, however.

&uot;I’ve got two good boys who can play the position,&uot; Whitaker said. &uot;We can go with either one, and we may work both of them until we find the right chemistry.&uot;

Bryce Crawford (6-1, 160) also took snaps for the Rams, but was used primarily in the running game.

The final scrimmage was won by the defense, as Huntington defensive back Josh Johns (6-3, 168) recovered a fumble on the Pine Hills nine yard line, and scrambled in for the lone score of the quarter.

Johns also intercepted a pass late in the scrimmage, but he dropped two easy interceptions earlier in the contest.

Huntington drove to the Pine Hills nine yard line before turning the ball over on downs. Wildcats running back Chris Guidry (5-8, 180) fumbled the ball on second down, giving the Hounds the 7-0 win.

&uot;Chris has missed some practice, and he’s a little out of shape,&uot; Hopkins said. &uot;But he’s a natural. He had 1,400 yards for us last year, and we expect the same from him this year.&uot;

Overall, Hopkins said, his team played well. &uot;We’ve just got to come together as a unit,&uot; he said.

Whitaker said his Rams looked fair. &uot;We made some mistakes, but that’s what the Jamboree is for,&uot; he said.

Reeves said his team is steadily improving, and that improvement continued last night.

&uot;I just don’t know if we’re improving quick enough,&uot; he said.