Traditional Football Powers UC & Milan To Play True "Full" Jamboree

By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
 
Union City, Tenn.–Both the present and the past of two storied West Tennessee football programs will be on display Aug. 16.
 
Union City and Milan will get together for a preseason football jamboree at the Bulldogs’ Johnnie Hale Stadium on that final Friday before the 2019 season begins.
 
The session that will also include JV and middle school play, as well as performances by both bands and cheerleading teams from UCHS and Milan.
 
The concept of the “full-program” jamboree has become increasingly popular and a big fund-raiser over the past few years, rivaling a number of jamborees held on the same night. UC has participated in the annual Dyersburg Jamboree the past several seasons, and was a participant at the Huntingdon Jamboree before that.
 
After playing on the Bulldogs’ turf this season, Union City will host a return engagement prior to the 2020 season next August.
 
Both the Tornadoes and Bulldogs are considered football royalty in the area, each counting four state championships among their respective storied histories. They’ve also combined for eight (UC three, Milan five) state runner-up titles.
 
The Aug. 16 festivities are set to begin at 6:30 p.m., with a match up of middle school teams that will consist of two eight-minute quarters.
 
The award-winning Golden Tornado marching band is slated to take the field at 7:35, with the two high school jayvee teams then to battle for two eight-minute quarters.
 
Milan’s band will perform at 8:15, with the main event – two 12-minute quarters of varsity play between UC and Milan – to bring down the curtain on the evening.
 
Both varsity squads will enter the 2019 campaign with their usual high expectations, the Tornadoes returning 15 starters from a squad that made the state quarterfinals last season before losing to eventual 2A state champion Trenton.
 
Milan is reportedly loaded with athletes at the skilled positions and looking to build off last season’s 8-5 record that landed the Bulldogs in Round 3 of the 3A playoffs in head coach Teddy Pettigrew’s first season.