It traditionally marks the start of a new football season in Chester County but this year it will also mark the beginning of new eras for all three Chester County programs.

The slate has now been set for the annual Chester County Football Jamboree, which was started some 15 years ago after a big, multi-team jamboree held in Rock Hill came to an end. As is typically the case, Chester, Lewisville and Great Falls will all take the field for their final tune-ups before the start of the regular season.

The event is set for August 16, one week before the start of the regular season. It will open with the Great Falls Red Devils taking on the Carolina Bearcats at 6 p.m. The Bearcats formerly went by the name “The Carolina Pride” and is made up of primarily of homeschoolers and students from private schools that do not field football teams. Last year, Great Falls was in an interesting situation in the jamboree, playing Thornwell Charter, since the two teams were also slated to play an actual game during the regular season.

Great Falls had a rough 2023, winning only two games (one of those by forfeit) before ending play and forfeiting its last few games when injury and attrition took the team’s roster down to 14 players. In the offseason, Great Falls brought in a brand new head coach in former University of South Carolina standout Syvelle Newton. His presence has ignited new excitement, which has led to an increase in interest and participation.

“Amazon or Netflix should have a camera here to see what is going on. It’s really like a movie. We went from six kids, to 12, to 18 to now having 30-plus varsity kids out here every day. These kids are asking for more work,” Newton told the News & Reporter in June.

Newton said as of now, his team does not have any other scrimmages scheduled aside from the jamboree matchup with the Bearcats. The Red Devils open the regular season August 23 at North Central.

The second session of the night is slated to start at 7 p.m. with Lewisville taking on Ware Shoals. The Lions had a successful 2023, posting a 10-2 record, winning a region title, spending much of the year ranked at number one in the polls and winning seven games by margins so large that there were running clocks. In the offseason, however, there was a change at the top as Leon Boulware resigned after two years as head coach to take the same job at Lugoff-Elgin High School. Stepping into his shoes is former defensive coordinator (and former Central of Pageland head coach) Trent Usher.

During his days at Pageland, Usher’s teams were primarily noted for their bruising ground attack on offense. He said he’d learned a lot in the past few years about the merits of spreading teams out and utilizing a passing attack. He said fans should not expect much difference in terms of what the Lions do offensively from the past two years. He said he has one philosophy that will not change, though, even when his team is blessed with depth (which Lewisville certainly is).

“My best 11 are always going to play. Even if they are going both ways,” he said in June.

The opponent for Lewisville is not an unfamiliar one to Chester County football fans as Ware Shoals is coached by former Chester assistant football coach (and head softball coach) Chris Dodson.

Lewisville opens the regular season August 23 against Usher’s former team, Central of Pageland.

After honored guests are recognized at 8 p.m., the final session of the night will commence at 8:15 when Chester battles Richland Northeast.

Chester has not had a change in terms of head coach, with Victor Floyd returning for his 14th non-consecutive season at the helm of the Cyclones. However, for the first time in its history, Chester will be dropping to the AA classification, after having competed in AAA for more than a quarter of a century.

Floyd said his team would feature one of the biggest offensive lines Chester has had in years. While he does have a veteran quarterback in Trooper Floyd, the team is young at the skill spots. For that reason, the team is more built for the regular season than for the summer passing season.

“We’re going to be just fine 11-on-11. Now, 7-on-7, that might be a little different,” he said.

Chester opens the regular season at home August 23 against Lancaster.