Rebels travel to archrival Homewood for season opener

The Vestavia Hills Rebels open the 2015 football season against longtime rival Homewood on Friday at 7 p.m. at Homewood's Waldrop Stadium.

The Rebels and Patriots will be facing off for the 44th time. The Rebels hold a 25-18 edge in the series and have won eight straight, including a 17-7 win last season.

Vestavia played a jamboree game last week, beating Briarwood Christian 14-0. Homewood, ranked No. 9 in Class 6A, played its opener last week, handling Decatur 28-15.

The Rebels are led by quarterback Brett Jones and running back Walker Minor on offense. The defense is anchored by linemen Alex Robin and Clayton Farris.

The Patriots feature quarterback Carson Griffis, in his third year as a starter, running back Derrick Underwood, a 1,000-yard rusher a year ago who had 282 all-purpose yards last week against Decatur and a trio of receivers with size and speed in Alec Marsch, Ronald Claiborne and Kevin Patterson. Griffin Gentry is a standout at defensive end.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

The Rebels will return home next week to face Oak Mountain in their first Class 7A, Region 3 matchup.