OAKWOOD — It's been five years since Gainesville and West Hall strapped it on and locked horns on the gridiron -- so surely the Red Elephants-Spartans rivalry has cooled a little over the interim?
Think again.
Gainesville senior running back Kadarius Smith said there has been plenty of back-and-forth on social media (and in person) between two sets of fans and players that know each other all too well -- and he assures that the contest carries plenty of weight for both sides, even in a game that carries no playoff implications.
"It means a lot to us. There's been a lot of talk on Twitter and social media, so it's a big game to us regardless that it's not in the region," Smith said. "We're ready for the task at hand."
(NOTE: To watch a video preview of the contest, simply click play in the box above. And to read previews of all Week Zero match-ups click here.)
So too is West Hall, and the Class AAAA program would love nothing more than to knock off Class AAAAAA Gainesville and show it is ready to continue the upward trend it has followed the last three seasons -- in which it has claimed three straight postseason berths (a program record).
"You don't want to be known as the senior class that didn't make the playoffs," Spartans senior wingback/defensive back AJ Favorite said. "I guess that's in the back of all our minds, so we just work hard. It definitely shows, it shows."
Both teams expect plenty of hard work to notch a winning start in Friday's Orenstein Kickoff Classic at the "Hot Gates of Spartan Field" in Oakwood -- a contest that was the brain-child of the two head coaches involved as a way to honor former community football booster and Gem Jewelry owner Marvin Orenstein, who passed away in 2012 after a lifetime spent supporting each program within Hall County. The annual most valuable player watches distrubuted (free of charge) by Gem Jewelry is a tradition his family, who still runs the store, continues.
"We had a community member that -- I think they said since 1946 -- has been doing this for all the Hall County schools and city of Gainesville schools," West Hall coach Tony Lotti said. "I was fortunate enough to meet him when I first got to West Hall, and the conversations that we had and his passion, not just for football, but his passion for the students of our county -- both city and county -- and his generosity... Just to hear the love and passion in his eyes and then in his passing his daughters, who now run Gem Jewelry continued that tradition, and they didn't have to."
Gainesville coach Bruce Miller concurred.
"We wanted to do something to honor (Orenstein) and we wanted to do something to honor the Orenstein family, and I thought it was a great idea," Miller said. "And, hopefully, we can do that with this game."
It is a contest ripe with story lines.
Can Gainesville's offense continue its high-flying ways despite replacing its entire starting five on the line and a new starting quarterback for the fourth time in four years? D.J. Irons will take the reins of the Red Elephants' spread attack, and the athletic junior has impressed at times while still growing into the role. He will also be aided by a deep and talented running back and receiving corps.
"I thought he played rather good last Friday night against North Forsyth (in a scrimmage)," Miller said of Irons. "He was 17 for 25 (passing). ... And we're just hoping that he builds on that and gets more confidence from that and that we keep growing."
As for the offensive line?
"Every day is a little bit better. Sometimes it seems like we take two steps forward and one step back," Miller said. "But it's getting better and better each day. We're getting a little but more confidence up front, and we're starting to find out the folks that really want to play."
The Red Elephants can comfort themselves with a defense that returns nine starters, including star linebackers Keith Harris and Kris Montague and defensive back Tyree Robinson.
They will face a West Hall offense that is looking to answer its own questions, mostly in the offensive backfield, where quarterback Jacob Satterfield, and running backs Tyrese Osborne, A.J. Favorite and Ashun Favorite are looking to make up for the graduations of standout runners like Tyquan Statham and Kwon Williams.
"Everybody in the program understands they have a role, and it's important that everybody embraces that role and everybody comes together and does what they have to do when it comes to those 48 minutes," Lotti said.
Meanwhile, the Spartans defense will look to match Gainesville's athleticism and fly to the ball, as the Red Elephants spread it around the field via the run and pass.
"It's going to take a lot of focus; that's the No. 1 thing," said A.J. Favorite, who also features at defensive back. "It's about reading keys, linebackers fitting blocks, DBs covering, no mental lapses. Guys just have to play."
And, of course, there is that rivalry thing.
"I know a lot of people say, 'Well you're AAAAAA and they're AAAA..." that doesn't matter. It's a county rivalry game," Miller said.
Lotti too is curious to see how his team responds to the challenge.
"They're going to teach us some lessons. And my thing is hopefully we don't learn them the hard way, so we're going to come out ready to play and see what happens," Lotti said.
Both are more than ready to get this season started (and so are we).
GAINESVILLE at WEST HALL
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: The Hot Gates of Spartan Field, Oakwood
RADIO: 1240 AM ESPN Radio (streaming live here)
GAINESVILLE (0-0): The Red Elephants went 8-4 last season, reaching the Class AAAAA second round
WEST HALL (0-0): The Spartans went 5-6 last season, reaching the Class AAA first round.
