Padded preview: East/West Laurens, Dublin continue season countdown with football jamborees

Another round of padded camps last week put local football teams on the home stretch of their summer preseason prep work, with the first games of the 2026 season now only weeks away.

Another round of padded camps last Tuesday and Wednesday put local football teams on the home stretch of their summer preseason prep work, which concludes for each this week over a final series of workouts that make up the GHSA’s acclimation process – for players, a mandatory precursor to full-contact practices that begin July 27.

Similar events were being held all over the state, but much of Middle Georgia converged on Laurens County for a couple of two-day jamborees hosted by East Laurens and Dublin, and a Wednesday-only occasion at West Laurens, that had the participation of 14 schools.

The Falcons welcomed Crisp County, along with Central and Southwest Macon, for the second of their two sessions on Wednesday, which is pictured in these scenes by Danny Scarboro…

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The Raiders had the company of Mary Persons, Thomasville, Treutlen, ACE Charter and Charlton County at The SHU on Wednesday morning, and Horace Austin was on hand to capture some of the action…

After hosting their first half-pad camp in late June, the Irish had Hawkinsville, Macon County and Vidalia as guests when they opened The Shamrock Bowl once again Tuesday and Wednesday. Here are some scenes provided by Dublin City Schools…

The regular season won’t kick off until August 21, but Friday-night football is not that far away, with scrimmage games for a handful of the above scheduled for as soon as Aug. 7.

Authors

Danny captures sports action scenes at games all around Middle Georgia. A private photographer who enjoys shooting local high school athletics, his photos have illustrated many game recaps in The Courier Herald since 2021. Check out his social media pages to find more of his snapshots from recent events.

 

A man of many talents, Horace showcases his photographic skills on regular assignments shooting events on the local high school sports scene and at various community events. He currently works with Morris Bank, in retirement from former roles as a technology specialist with both Heart of Georgia RESA and the Wilkinson County School District. He has also served as pastor of Dudley’s New Vision Missionary Baptist Church for more than 20 years.

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