It’ll be a new experience for Chad Eads and the 71 players he brings to Louis Crews Stadium in Huntsville this Friday night.

After 11 seasons as an assistant at Hoover, Eeads enters his first autumn as a head football coach, and one can’t help but wonder if the new pilot in Gardendale remembered to pack some of that Hoover magic in the move. He was part of six state championships as the Bucs’ offensive line coach from 2007 to 2017, but the pull of a head coaching opportunity was too much to fight after his two kids graduated from Hoover.

“It’s been a great transition for me. There’s been something every day that’s new and it’s been exciting,” said Eads, who has embraced the challenge that is Class 6A, Region 6.

The new region alignment brings six returning playoff teams together, including Gardendale, Pinson Valley, Clay-Chalkville, Oxford, Pell City and Shades Valley. The only Region 6 team that missed out on the 2017 postseason is Huffman, who steps down from Class 7A this season.

“I was telling our kids that it’s very much like college football where you have to be ready every week; there’s nobody on our schedule that we can afford to go into and not have to really think about them,” said Eads of the region.

According to the Alabama Sports Writers Association preseason poll, three of the top five Class 6A teams in the state pay rent in Region 6: No. 1 Pinson Valley, No. 4 Oxford and No. 5 Clay-Chalkville. The Rockets receive zero votes in the August rankings, but a Week 0 win over Mae Jemison, who checked in at No. 6 in the final 5A poll last season, would surely draw attention.

Sophomore quarterback Goose Crowder will be one of seven new offensive starters Gardendale breaks in Friday night, although he did serve in a part-time capacity last year when his older brother, Michael, went down with an injury. Crowder turned heads in a 63-34 win over Jasper in mid-October, completing 12 of his 17 passes for 264 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran with it seven times for another 70 yards and a score that night.

“He carries himself like he’s a much older kid,” said Eads of the rising sophomore. “I had a friend come out and watch practice and he said, ‘if you didn’t know him, you would think he was a sophomore in college.’’

One of Crowder’s favorite targets throughout the summer 7-on-7 season was junior tight end Bailey Parsons. Listed at 6-foot-3, Parsons provides a pair of sure hands to the Rockets’ passing attack.

“He’s a physical kid who also has really good hands,” said Eads of Parsons. “I see him being in the backfield a little bit as a blocker, but also as a guy who catches play-action passes… and being a guy who helps us stay on the field.”

“He give you a chance to line up in many formations just because of what he can do: He can be a wide receiver, he can be a slot receiver, he can be in the backfield and that helps you out a lot as an offensive caller.”

Much of Gardendale’s leadership can be found in the interior, as senior guards Dawson Cato and Micah Gibson return to the field. They’re joined up front by senior tackles Connor Jenkins and James Hancock. The projected starter at center is junior Griffith Pearson.

Gibson spoke about the backs he’ll be blocking for this season (Jay Brooks and Jacob Wright): “I love them because they’re such hard workers. Jay will run over you; you don’t expect it because of his size, but he’s a little fire and I love it.”

Eads has often praised Brooks as a high achiever both on the field and in the weight room.

Eads also points to a confident group of defensive backs, which includes Corey Tamper and Terrance Catlin at corner, Kendale Allen and David Harris at safety and Kiniji Chandler at a hybrid linebacker position.

“The thing that impresses me about those kids is they’ve got some swagger to them, they’ve got some confidence, but they’re very hard working kids,” said Eads.

That group should benefit from the pass rush provided by senior defensive end Xavier Skinner this season. Eric Firestone will coordinate the defense this season. Like offensive coordinator Rodney Bivens, this will be Firestone’s first year in Gardendale.

Only time will tell if this new staff can get the Rockets through a brutal region slate and into the Class 6A playoffs.