NC plays for their first win of the season Friday and will face off against a top team in the state, the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes. NC edged out Cartersville 27-26 last season, with the help of some shaky play from Cartersville’s offense.  

Cartersville will run the offense through five star sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the nation’s top recruit for the class of 2018.  At 6’5” and 195 pounds, Lawrence equips himself with a compact release, accurate throws, and plenty arm strength to stretch the field both vertically and horizontally. Lawrence struggled last season against NC, a game in which he came off the bench and only completed 46.2% of his passes, coupled with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Cartersville lines up with four receivers and one running back for most of the game, and will not run the ball too much. But when they do, do not be surprised if they go outside with jet sweeps and stretch runs, which North Gwinnett used to close out NC last week in the second half.  

NC’s priority this week stands to shut down Cartersville’s passing game and hope Lawrence thinks back to last season’s game a little too often. NC will attempt to bring pressure and try to get into Lawrence’s head in hopes of resulting in turnovers. And if this week comes down to the wire like the beginning of this season has, one or two plays could prove the difference.  

On defense, Cartersville utilizes its hefty defensive line to keep their inside linebackers clear and shut down the run, while the defensive backs lockdown the deep ball with a variety of zone coverages. Cartersville recorded six turnovers, two going for six, against Cass High School last week in a 41-0 blowout.  

NC undergoes a tough fight this week, but with their talent in the front seven and depth at receiver, hold no surprise if NC can pull off the upset in Cartersville and drag in their first victory of a young season.