Oxford (1-0) at Gadsden City (1-0)
Last meeting: Oxford 6, GCHS 0 (2013)
Series record: Gadsden City 6, Oxford 3
By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
After successfully opening the season with a double-overtime road win over Auburn High, Class 7A Gadsden City will try for a home victory tonight (Aug. 29) against long-time rival Oxford, which remained a 6A school following reclassification.
“We only made three-of-10 of our offensive goals,” Titans coach Matt Scott said. “If we can beat that good of a team while meeting only that many goals, the upside for us is tremendous. I was proud of the mentality and the mental toughness these kids showed against Auburn.”
Against Auburn, Dante Rudolph scored from 5 yards out in the second overtime period to record the win.
Prior to the game, Auburn was ranked No. 5 in Class 7A.
“They handled the highs and lows of the game like we ask them to,” Scott said. “Again, we didn’t play that great – we just made big plays when we needed them.”
The Yellow Jackets defeated Southside, 42-21, last week.
“[Oxford] has a lot of weapons back,” Scott said. “People talk about Roc Thomas being graduated, but he didn’t play much against us last year.”
These teams have tangled every year since the inception of Gadsden City.
“We try to approach it like any other game,” Scott said. “We let the fans enjoy the rivalry stuff while we try to concentrate on winning.”
Also against Auburn, Gabe Ford rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown on nine ca-rries. Rodney Bozeman, Jr., gained 26 yards on nine carries, while Damon Williams added 36 yards and a touchdown on six attempts.
Ahmad DeRamus completed 11-of-21 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown, while Darnell Mooney had five receptions for 63 yards.
Blair Edwards led defensively with 16 tackles and two sacks.
Brelon Malone and Trey Brasher each finished with nine tackles, followed by Rudolph, Jarvis McKee and Adrian Sumpter with eight each.
For Oxford against Southside, Will Webber completed 14-of-20 passes for 281 yards, while Jacob Cook caught eight passes for 218 yards.