SAND ROCK – The fans were ready. The coaches were prepared. The players were excited, but Mother Nature put a damper on Sand Rock’s football jamboree on Thursday night.

The six-team jamboree, featuring the host Wildcats, Cedar Bluff, Gaylesville, Spring Garden, Geraldine and Glencoe, was canceled due to thunderstorms in the Cherokee County area.

The event has been rescheduled for Friday beginning at 5 p.m., weather permitting.

“It’s very frustrating, especially since we’re playing Cedar Bluff on Thursday night next week, so we just lost a day of preparation,” Sand Rock coach Russell Jacoway said. “They did too, so I’m sure it’s frustrating for (Cedar Bluff) Coach (Jonathan) McWhorter, but we don’t want kids going out and getting struck by lightning. You turn around and do this thing (Friday), and it makes for a long day.”

Details of which teams are playing each other were sketchy as of this report, since Glencoe has decided not to participate now.

“They said they couldn’t come back,” Jacoway said. “We’re going to have to do some rearranging, which means we’ll have to eliminate a half. That means we’ll get done a little earlier tomorrow (Friday) night.”

As Jacoway said, the Wildcats open the season next Thursday at Cedar Bluff at 7 p.m.