Seven of our eight Baldwin County football teams played in preseason jamboree games last week. The games don’t mean anything in the standings, and it really doesn’t matter if your team won or lost in the grand scheme of things.

So what can we learn about our teams from these meaningless games?

On Thursday we learned that Fairhope has come a long way since the spring. The Pirates beat the Theodore Bobcats, a team that made them look bad in a loss at the Foley Spring Jamboree. We learned that Fairhope’s offense is good after it put up 32 points in basically three quarters of work against a defense led by one of the most talented linebackers in the state.

We also learned on Thursday that Foley’s defense is legit. The Lions held Davidson Warriors, a team some are expecting to make a deep run in the 6A playoffs, to just nine points in a jamboree game at Archbishop Lipscomb Stadium. We learned that Jorge Santa Maria might be the best place kicker in the county. He nailed two field goals against the Warriors and barely missed one from 53 yards out. His kickoffs rarely result in anything but touchbacks.

We learned on Friday that Baldwin County might be better than some expect after a narrow loss to Gulf Shores on Thursday. The Tigers have a solid running game led by senior back Charleston Gandy. Gulf Shores could surprise some fans early on, too. The Dolphins came back from a 21-7 deficit to beat the Tigers 28-27. Wide receiver Brandon Gottfried, who transfered from American Christian Academy, is a big target for senior quarterback Logan Paul.

Daphne battled the elements and defeated a Baker team that struggled for wins in 2008 in a storm-shortened jamboree game. The Trojans will face their first real test at Davidson on Thursday.

So what can we learn this week?

After Thursday night, we will know whether or not Foley and Daphne can hang with the big boys in Mobile. We will also learn whether Spanish Fort travels well. The Toros head to north Alabama to take on J.O. Johnson that night.

On Friday, we will see Bayside Academy for the first time this season. The Admirals open at Millry. We will see if Gulf Shores can beat an improved Robertsdale team, and we will find out just how many points Fairhope can put up against a St. Paul’s team that might not be very good.

Eric Mann is the Sports Coordinator for Gulf Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at emann@gulfcoastnewspapers.com.