By Gary Lloyd
TRUSSVILLE — There’s certainly no time to celebrate.
Coming off a 64-63 four-overtime win at No. 8 Spain Park last week, Hewitt-Trussville hits the road again this Friday for a non-region matchup against Class 7A No. 3 Gadsden City. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
[VIDEO: HTHS vs. Gadsden City preview]
Don’t scroll over last season’s schedule and think much of Hewitt-Trussville’s 17-14 win over the Titans as a sign for this season. Neither team is what it was a season ago. Hewitt-Trussville has a new coaching staff and system. Gadsden City has more experience.
This could be Hewitt-Trussville’s toughest test to date, despite playing a Gardendale team that has already locked up a Class 6A playoff spot, battling it out at Tuscaloosa County, losing to a tough-as-nails Vestavia Hills team and shooting it out last week with the Jaguars.
Gadsden City was ranked No. 5 in Class 7A last week before it trounced Class 7A top-ranked Bob Jones 44-23 at home. The Titans opened the season with a 34-28 overtime win on the road at No. 5 Auburn, then proceeded to win big over Oxford, Sparkman and Grissom. There may not be a more impressive team in the state through five weeks.
Gadsden City is averaging 40.8 points per game, and the team’s athleticism allows it to score in a multitude of ways. Junior quarterback Ahmad DeRamus can sling the ball all over the field, and several running backs and athletes can run over and around defenders.
Hewitt-Trussville’s confidence carrying over from the Spain Park win is huge heading to a tough place to play such as Titan Stadium. The Huskies will need to limit penalties for a second consecutive week, and sustain long drives that produce points to keep the Gadsden City offense off the field. The Huskies’ defense will again need to make some key stops, as this game has the feel of a shootout.
Look for this game to be close down the stretch.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.