The four local prep football teams took different routes in preparing for next week’s 2008 season openers.

Two area squads, Poplarville and Pearl River Central, decided to play scrimmages against other teams.

The Hornets got the action started on Thursday night by travelling to Ellisville to meet South Jones in a controlled scrimmage, while the Blue Devils will host visiting Perry Central tonight in Carriere.

Picayune was to have participated in an intra-squad scrimmage tonight as part of Meet The Tide night, but that event was cancelled.

Meanwhile, Hancock decided not to participate in any type of scrimmage at all.

PRC and PCHS will kick off things tonight at 7:30 with the junior varsity meeting in one half of action, and that will be followed by the varsity action meeting in one half of play as well.

New Poplarville head coach Chris Teal, a PRC assistant last season, indicated he was glad to get his squad on the field Thursday night in some simulated game type action because his team did not play in a spring game against another opponent. South Jones won 21-0 as the teams played just one half.

“It was good for us, just to get on the field and hit somebody besides each other,” Teal added. “It can only help us get ready for next week.”

PRC head coach Jeremy Weir was in attendance in Ellisville Thursday night checking out two future opponents, as the Blue Devils will open the season next week at South Jones.