Polk County teams skipping spring football

Fans who were hoping to get to see some high school football before later in the summer as school starts and into the fall months with the regular season schedule are going to be disappointed in 2017.

Both the Cedartown Bulldogs and the Rockmart Yellow Jackets are deciding not to hold their annual spring games this year, instead opting for an extra scrimmage game ahead of the coming football season in 2017.

Bulldogs head coach Doyle Kelley said his team will be utilizing some spring practice time for the next weeks without pads or helmets, mainly for conditioning purposes and skipping the annual Black and Red game held by Cedartown as a preview for the coming season.

Jackets head coach Biff Parson said his team will also not be taking the field in their annual Black and Gold game, also taking up an extra scrimmage prior to the season’s start for 2017.

Rockmart players are also using the spring for training time as well without pads or helmets.

Since both teams will get an extra game that doesn’t count in August, they are using the opportunity to get the most out of preparing players for the start of the season.

For instance, Cedartown has elected as their two scrimmages a trip to East Ridge High School in the Chattanooga, Tenn., area and will host Model for their two games prior to the regular season’s start later in the month of August.

Scrimmage schedules for the Bulldogs weren’t immediately available at press time.

Rockmart’s scrimmage information wasn’t immediately available as well.

Both teams will face off for the annual Battle of Polk County on Aug. 18, with Cedartown hosting the game this year.

Then the two teams will play against teams from neighboring counties in Alabama in the second annual Battle of the Border fundraiser.

Rockmart faces Piedmont while Cherokee County and Cedartown will play in the double header on the road.

Cedartown’s upcoming schedule also includes contests against Gilmer County at home and on the road at Pepperell before beginning the Region 5-AAAA schedule for the year, starting off with a road contest against Cartersville on Sept. 22 after a week off.

Rockmart’s one non-region game after Piedmont will come on the road at Woodland High School in Bartow, and then begins their region play on Sept. 15 on the road at Armuchee.

SPRING