The preseason football jamboree between Poplarville and Biloxi high schools has been moved to Biloxi due to flash flood warnings and safety concerns.

The Biloxi Indians’ football field is turf, which sheds water more efficiently during heavy rainfall.

“Turf is the greatest invention in the game of football,” Biloxi Head Football Coach Bobby Hall said. “It’s like a carpet at your house. It soaks up everything leaving no standing water, which will keep both sides safe from injuries.”

According to the National Weather Service “Watches, Warnings and Advisories,” a flood watch has been issued for the coastal areas of Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana from yesterday evening through Friday morning. Heavy rainfall is expected to occur as the week goes by, accumulating a projected 10 inches through Saturday. The greatest risk to players will be the frequent lightning strikes, the National Weather Service states, along with 30 to 40 mile per hour winds.

Both head football coaches talked about the weather conditions before deciding to move the game from Poplarville to Biloxi for the safety of their players.

“There’s no sense in playing a preseason game in terrible weather conditions on a grass field. It puts the players and field conditions in jeopardy for the whole season,” Poplarville Head Football Coach Jay Beech said.

Both coaches said that even though the conditions will be tough, they are not going to be changing their approach and mindset of the jamboree.

“We are still going to go out there to win the game. The team needs to get some game-time experience under their belts before we hit the regular season,” Hall said.

Beech said, “We are coming to compete. We still got some things to work on and we will be ready to go on Friday as long as the weather allows us to play.”

The National Weather Service states that some of the heaviest rainfall is expected throughout the early morning and daylight hours of Thursday. However, the jamboree is scheduled for Friday, August 12 at Biloxi High School. Junior varsity will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the varsity teams who start at 7 p.m.