VIDALIA — After watching their Mississippi counterparts play football for several weeks, area Louisiana teams are less than a week away from kickoff themselves.

And those teams took advantage of a local jamboree to get some extra work in before the regular season starts Friday.

Block, Tensas and Ferriday high schools took part in the Vidalia High School jamboree, with Block topping Tensas 12-0 and Ferriday playing the host school to a 0-0 tie.

The jamboree games were divided into two 12-minute halves, but a scoreboard malfunction kept the game clock in the hands of the officials.

Vidalia versus Ferriday

A couple of big passing plays gave the Trojans 101 yards in the air, but neither team was able to get into the end zone.

Ferriday had a couple of chances to put six on the board. A 42-yard pass from quarterback Shannon Morales to Trey Hall set up the Trojans on the Vidalia 15 in the first half, but the Trojans were unable to score, turning the ball over on downs.

In the second half, a long pass again put Ferriday inside the red zone. Morales hit Adrian Wiggins for a 30-yard reception that gave Ferriday first and goal inside the 10, but penalties forced the Trojans back, and Vidalia eventually recovered a fumble on their own 38.

Vidalia got a drive going late in the second half, getting to the Ferriday 31 before turning the ball over on downs with three seconds left in regulation.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” Ferriday head coach Cleothis Cummings said. “We had a couple of good moments, but we still have to go back to the drawing board.”

Cummings said a lack of execution was the culprit in being unable to convert red zone appearances to points.

“We have to have confidence in what we’re doing, and I believe we’ll get to that point,” Cummings said.

Vidalia head coach Gary Parnham Jr. said he was proud of his team stepping up its game in the second half after a slow first half.

“We had a few miscues in the passing coverage, but we’ll get it fixed,” Parnham said. “I was proud of the way we played. We played hard. We made some mistakes, but that’s to be expected early in the season.”

The Vikings had 30 yards rushing and 16 yards passing. Ferriday finished with 34 yards on the ground.

Vidalia will open at Block Friday night, while Ferriday will travel to Natchez High School.

Block versus Tensas

A strong rushing attack gave Block High School one touchdown apiece in each half while the Bears’ defense held Tensas to just 1 yard of total offense.

Block tallied 152 yards on the ground, and head coach Benny Vault said he was eager to go back and watch film following the scrimmage.

“We moved the ball and had good speed,” Vault said. “We have a few attitudes that need to be adjusted, but overall, we’ll be OK.”

Block scored quickly in the first half, opening the game with a 57-yard kickoff return by Ken Colbert to the Tensas 33. TyQuentin Bell then ran the ball 23 yards on the first offensive play, and Colbert followed it up with a 4-yard carry. William Cummings punched it in from 3 yards out to give the Bears an early 6-0 lead.

Block scored again late in the second half on a 12-yard carry by Bell.

Despite his team’s struggles, Tensas head coach Noah Johnson was glad his players had a chance to compete against Block.

“This is their first contact (scrimmage) with someone else,” Johnson said. “They gave me effort. We’re a young team — we have a lot of eighth- and ninth-graders, so we’re still a little confused, but they did a good job as far as I can see.”

Block racked up 65 yards of penalties, something Vault joked about after the game.

“I think the referees got new whistles, and they were trying them out,” Vault joked. “I told them they work OK.”

Tensas opens its season at Cedar Creek in Ruston, La., Friday.