By Charles Prince

The North Jefferson News



Its the six game of a 10-game regular season, but according to Gardendale head coach Keith Luker the Rockets homecoming game with Curry Friday night is pretty much a do-or-die affair.

“It’s a big game,” Luker said. “It’s our homecoming game and it’s a region game. We’d like to think we’re one of the four teams in our region who can make the playoffs, so if we are a playoff team this is a must-win for us.”

Curry brings an 0-3 region record into the game, but Luker said the Yellow Jackets are a talented club.

“They’ve got good size on both sides of the ball,” he said. “They’ve got some good skill players. They’ve also got some good defensive players as well. They’re an improving team.”

The Rockets need two more region wins to clinch a postseason berth, but to repeat as region champions they’ll need help from other teams, and they’ll also have to win out in their final four region matchups.

Gardendale is coming off an easy 49-12 win over Tarrant. In the game, sophomore linebacker Brandon Cato recorded 13 tackles, making him the fourth different Rocket linebacker to record double-digit tackles in a game so far this season.

Luker said the linebacking corp is playing well this year, but he was quick to point out the Rocket’s defensive line deserves credit for tying up blockers so that the backers can get to the ball and make plays.

“We’ve got a very good set of linebackers,” Luker said. “They’re all capable of having big games, but we can’t forget all the work the defensive line does to let them have those big games.”

Luker said this week’s homecoming festivities have him and the Gardendale coaching staff concerned about their players mindset for Curry.

“Every year we worry about the distractions during the homecoming week,” he said. “We want to make sure the players know the game is the most important part of this week.”

The Rockets are coming off back-to-back blowout wins, but Luker said his club can’t get complacent.

“Each game this time of year is a bigger game than the one the week before,” he said. “We need to keep getting better.”