The Gardendale Rockets open the 2015 season at home against a the one loss Hewitt-Trussville Huskies. The Huskies lost to Montgomery Bell Academy last week and will try to get back to their winning ways but it will not be easy on the road wit the Rockets.

Hewitt-Trussville (0-1) felt like missed opportunities really hurt them in the red zone along with a turnover late in the game. "I thought we played really well over," said Huskies Head coach Josh Floyd. "The defense kept us in the game. We gave up to many big plays and could not get many points in the red zone. We have to do a better job of executing in the red zone, but we came out of the game looking at a lot of bright spots. We played a good football team that had a lot of good football players."

The Huskies offense is let by quarterback Zac Thomas. The senior rushed for over 100 yards and threw for over 100 yards last week. Thomas completed on over 70% of his passes. Hewitt-Trussville has Jarrion Street at running back who had 145 yards last week. The Huskies hope to get two-way player Bailey McElwain more involved in the offense. "As coaches, we need to do a better job of getting him in the offense," added Floyd. "Bailey is just a good football player that knows the game. He is hard to block on defense and I think he could be a big plus for us in the red zone."

Last week against MBA, special teams hurt the Husking on getting the win. A blocked field goal, blocked punt, and a missed extra point didn't help the Huskies in their first game. "We have to do a better job on special teams," said Floyd. "It was a disappointing result in the end."

The Huskies defense will need to eliminate the big plays of Gardendale. The Rockets return a lot of starters on offense and this one looks to be a high scoring affair. LB Jalen Williams, DL KJ Presley along with McElwain at linebacker will need to close down the Rockets run game.

For Gardendale, the Rockets return a lot on offense this season. Gardendale return eight starters on offense. A position of strength is the offensive line. All five lineman return this season. Tackles Dawson Cazola and Jarrett Childress, guards Jacob Johnson and Del Estis with Trent Mayfield at ceter. These five started the last six games along with the three playoff games.

Behind the offensive line is quarterback Zach Cupps. Cupps has the ability to keep oppenents off balance throwing and running the football. This season, he might not need to run much with running back DeQua Houston. Houston ran for 1,000 yards last season and look to improve on that mark this season with his returning lineman. A few other weapons for the Rockets are Tye Dunklin and Reagan Padgett.

The defense is the key for both teams in this game. The Rockets return six players on defense. John Michael Burrow at defensive end will be a key player for the Rockets. Andrew Freeman had over 100 tackles last season.

The key in this game will be the two defenses and special teams. Look for a lot of points in this game, but this could come down to the team that makes the least mistakes on special teams.