HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: What fans need to know ahead of football jamborees starting Friday

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Football jamborees on Friday night kick off the 2023 high school season.

CLICK HERE to read a schedule for Jamborees across the Ozarks.

Schools developed stricter rules regarding students at home games. Josh Scott, Springfield Public Schools athletic director, said stadium rules are a newer development for schools in our area and for SPS. He said the reason why these rules are set in place is derived from an issue.

“Our attendance numbers have skyrocketed,” Scott said. “We are having so many more people attend games,” he said.

He said students weren’t necessarily doing anything malicious for these rules to be set in place, but there was just too much happening in the athletic spaces.

“We’re asking all of our students, whether they’re elementary through high school, when they come to the game, to go up into their designated seating area,” he said.

Scott also said students must not bring distractions like footballs, baseballs, gloves, etc., so everyone can enjoy the game and not be distracted by outside interruptions.

Scott said for SPS schools, the rules are similar to how they were last year:

• Students from rival teams will have to enter on their respective bleacher sides.
• All students must have their ID to get into the game-- no exceptions.
• All students have to stay in the bleachers during the whole game.
• Win or lose, no students are allowed on the field after the game unless school officials let students know ahead of time.
• No backpacks, purses, or bags are allowed inside.
• Students will need to exit out of the same gate they came in.

Other schools in our area, such as Logan-Rogersville School District, also have stadium rules, but they are a little more lax than districts such as SPS. The Logan-Rogersville athletic director, Sam Wutke, said, for example, there are no rules for not bringing bags inside, but the district does ask students and other fans to obey different rules they have.

“We do not allow fans or students down onto our field or track, so we ask that they remain in the stands,” Wutke said. “We ask families that have young kids to escort them to ballgames and keep track of them.”

Both Wutke and Scott said students are only allowed to go on the field if their team wins, and it has to be controlled by school officials.

Wutke also said that although the football jamborees are not a part of the official football season, it’s still an excellent chance for more rural schools to play.

“It’s an opportunity for teams to scrimmage against another team,” Wutke said. “Especially for smaller schools, that is really critical.”

Other schools in the Ozarks have similar basic stadium rules just like Rogersville’s.

School officials at Ozark School District said to KY3, “We will have our normal admin presence at our jamboree and other games. Ozark plans to maintain the same level of administration and supervision throughout their season.”

If you’re unsure if your school has stadium rules or what those include, visit your district’s website or give your school’s office a call to find out. Most football jamborees start Friday night, and the official high school football season kicks off next Friday.

Scott and Wutke said SPS and Rogersville football jamborees are kicking off around 6 p.m. on Friday.

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