Headlined by UW commit Jonathan Epperson, Washington high school football jamboree hits right notes

Auburn Riverside - Epperson's school - as well as Bainbridge Island, Gig Harbor, Olympic and South Kitsap meet in Purdy for 90 minutes of action.

Junior wide receiver DJ Darling, of Gig Harbor, gets ready for a five-school football jamboree Friday at Roy Anderson Field. / Photo by Todd Milles

PURDY, Wash. - In the 2024 season record sense, it wasn't the real thing.

But in the football sense, what Auburn Riverside, Bainbridge Island, Gig Harbor, Olympic and South Kitsap High Schools produced Friday was very real.

The five schools rotated to give one another their best shot for 10 plays at a time at the 90-minute jamboree at Roy Anderson Field on the campus of Peninsula High School - one that featured scoring, stuffing and even shoving.

Yes, folks - Washington is ready for football games to start next week.

"It was good to hit somebody else," said Darrin Reeves, whose Tides were the hosts Friday. "We’ve been hitting ourselves for 21/2 weeks, and all of July."

It was the Tides and Olympic who saw the action carry past the whistle with a few verbal exchanges and unfriendly pats on the back.

"It's easier to pull them back (on intensity) than put it in them," Reeves said.

This jamboree had a good mixture of smaller schools (2A Bainbridge and Olympic) and bigger programs (3A Gig Harbor and 4A Auburn Riverside, South Kitsap) with varying levels of talent and depth.

It also showcased linebacker Jonathan Epperson, the No. 2 prospect in the state for 2025 from Auburn Riverside. He gave UW a verbal commitment over the summer.

"It is always great going against South (Kitsap) - and they are getting that 1990s swagger back. And playng against a great running back like (Epperson) from Auburn Riverside, and against Gig Harbor, who is well-coached," Bainbridge coach Dan Schoonmaker said. "It is good for our kids to see that kind of talent. We want to play better teams."

Speaking of Epperson, he has gained 25 pounds since the end of last season after missing a couple of gamee because of injuries. He is up to 215, he said.

"I definitely went ahead and put on some more weight so I can carry the load a little bit better," he said. "I am also faster and more agile."