NATCHEZ — The Natchez High Bulldogs football team will be giving their fans a sneak preview of their 2010 football team a week before the season kicks off.

The Bulldogs are hosting a jamboree on Aug. 13, which will also feature Jefferson County, Wilkinson County, South Pike and Pointe Coupee Central of Morganza, La.

“We like to treat this like a ‘Meet the Bulldogs’ type event,” Natchez High coach Lance Reed said. “We let our fans get out and get their first taste of the team. Everybody wants to see what the team will be like and this will be the first opportunity to see what the season has to offer.”

Reed said he is trying to secure another team to participate in the jamboree to allow each team to play one game.

“We really need another team to balance it out,” Reed said. “But if we don’t get another team, we’ll still make it work some way.”

Wilkinson County and Pointe Coupee Central also participated in last year’s jamboree.

Last year’s NHS jamboree featured Cathedral and Trinity Episcopal, but those two schools will be participating in a jamboree hosted by Cathedral on the same night.

“Last year we had Cathedral and Trinity come over which brought more local schools here, but Cathedral is having its own this year,” Reed said. “But I’m still looking forward to Jefferson County and Wilkinson County as well as South Pike, which is a new team to participate.”

Natchez will begin its regular season on Aug. 20 at Jefferson County, and Reed said playing a preseason jamboree is an important part of getting ready for the season.

“It’s all part of a routine that I’m used to and our program is used to as far as practicing initially, and then going out there and having a dry run,” Reed said. “It’s a way to see what needs to be worked on for the next week that counts.”

Reed said it is also a relief for the players, who are ready to play against a different team after practicing against each other for several weeks.

“They look forward to going out and seeing a new (jersey) color and work on the things we worked on in practice,” Reed said. “It’s really our initial measuring stick. We have to make sure we’re ready.”