Gadsden City (2-0) at Sparkman (0-1)
Last week’s scores: GCHS 48, Oxford 28; Scottsboro 34, Sparkman 24
Series record: First meeting
By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
Gadsden City High is doing a lot of things right. That is obvious by the team’s record thus far.
However, coach Matt Scott sees room for improvement – especially in the finishing department.
“We’ve got to learn how to finish people off,” he said. “We’re making the games too interesting.”
The Titans are scoring early, getting a touchdown on the opening possession of both the first two games.
Gadsden City is also experiencing some big-play success. Last week, the Titans scored three touchdowns on seven plays. They also scored on the first play of one drive, only to have it called back. However, Gadsden City scored on the first play after the penalty.
“We have really played well in spurts,” Scott said. “We’ve got a big-play capability – we’ve just got to learn to be more consistent.”
With only one game under the belt of Class 7A, Region 4 rival Sparkman, Scott isn’t entirely sure what to expect.
He said the quarterback and running back are both pretty good athletes who will have to be held for the Titans to have a chance.
“We’ve got to play better third-down defense,” Scott said. “We’ve shot ourselves in the foot some on third down.”
Improving themselves is what Scott wants more than to worry about the opponent.
“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing,” he said. “We just want to improve each week.”
Last week against Oxford, Damon Williams scored two of the Titans’ three fourth-quarter touchdowns. He finished with seven carries for 117 yards.
Gabe Ford led the Titans in rushing with 130 yards and two touchdowns on nine attempts. Rodney Bozeman, Jr., added 37 yards on nine carries.
Ahmad DeRamus completed 11-of-20 passes for 170 yards, while Darnell Mooney caught three passes for 82 yards.