Jimtown High School

Jimmies tune up at Triton By Red Williams Freelance Sports Writer BOURBON , IN – The scoreboard seemed a bit confusing. The operator put points in the corresponding places, but they weren’t for scores. In anticipation of their regular season opener, Jimtown’s Jimmies visited Triton High School for what is called a “controlled scrimmage.” Each team took turn on offense or defense for the same number of times for the same length of time at different starting points. Oh, there were a few touchdowns, but they didn’t count. And of all things, the ball was never kicked. The encounter took place Friday night with warm temperatures and high humidity on the Trojans’ sun-swept field. A good-sized crowd was on hand and got a pretty good idea of how their teams would fare. One of the big take-aways, as usual, was the opportunity to hit someone earnestly other than a teammate. The Jimmy fans got a good look at this season’s quarterback, Mason Armstrong, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior. He’s stepping into the shoes of Bishop Williams, who’s now playing for the University of Indianapolis. Armstrong, a right-handed thrower, had a number of reps last year filling in for Williams, but now is the No. 1 guy. Cody Vincent likes what he saw: “He played well, and put the ball where it needed to be for the receivers to make plays.” He actually had one TD pass. He cited some of the others on the squad: “Owen Glass ran hard. Jack Kite and Javen Jackson played well on offense and defense. We got some reps for a lot of the younger players, and they did well.” Even two of the reserve running backs took the ball across the goal line with long runs against Triton’s reserves. Noticeably missing from the game were tight end/linebacker Aiden Carithers and wide receiver Connor Christmas. Vincent said there were no new injuries to report. The Jimmies open their new campaign with a home battle against neighborhood rival NorthWood. That will be Friday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m. The Panthers are coming off a 12-3 season, and captured the 4A state title against East Central. But most of their firepower graduated, so they are forced to regroup. The Jimmies were 4-6 last season, but 2024 is like starting brand-new: They’ve returned to Class 2A and will be playing in a new conference, The Indiana Northern State, with a new coach.