Football season right around the corner in Polk

The schedules are ready, the players are in fit condition and this time next, week, we'll be just days away from the first football games for Polk County teams of the season.

Cedartown and Rockmart's run-up to the beginning of the season will start with a pair of scrimmages this year before the all important date of Aug. 18 comes up.

That's when Jackets fans will travel to Cedartown for the annual Battle of Polk County, this year being hosted by the Bulldogs.

Following that, both teams will also take part in the second annual Battle of the Borders, where Cherokee County and Piedmont, Ala., football teams will come this way for the 2017 matchup to face Cedartown and Rockmart.

After that, the pair of teams won't see each other again as Cedartown battles its way through a tough Region 5-AAAA, while Rockmart stays mainly in the lo- cal area and continues its run through 7-AA football.

This past week, Cedartown players were up at Northwest Whitfield High School in the Dalton area taking part in camps ahead of the start of full practice for GHSA teams. Check out Page B2 to find more photos from the few days that Bulldogs players participated on the field with other teams in the area.

Rockmart and Cedartown have both been busy during the summer preparing for upcoming practices and plays in the weight rooms as each team looks forward to start the season off against one another.

Both Cedartown and Rockmart skipped spring practices this year to take part in extra scrimmage games ahead of the official start of the season.

Check back next week for more on the upcoming scrimmages. In the meantime, turn to page B2 for schedules for the Cedartown Bulldogs and Rockmart Yellow Jackets 2017 seasons.