Hough’s Ethan Royal hands off the ball | Photo by Max Gallagher

By Ryan Moxon — The top-ranked Hough football team takes on Cardinal Gibbons on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium in the Keep Pounding High School Classic.

Hough and Cardinal Gibbons are ranked No. 1 and No. 5, respectively, in the state by MaxPreps.

Hough’s rebuilt defensive line will face a stiff test against a Cardinal Gibbons rushing attack that totaled 190 yards on 22 carries and scored four touchdowns in a 45-6 season-opening win over Dudley.

The Crusaders are led by sophomore running back Truth Caesar, who rushed for 111 yards and three touchdowns. Junior quarterback Mason Karras added 59 yards on the ground.

Karras attempted just seven passes in the opener, completing four for 95 yards and a touchdown.

The Huskies are coming off a 15-10 season-opening win over Northwestern, the top-ranked team in South Carolina. Hough’s defense continued the dominant play it showed last season, holding Northwestern to one touchdown.

Now in its fourth year, the Keep Pounding High School Classic brings together some of the top teams from North and South Carolina for an early-season test.

In last season’s matchup, Hough won 14-10 over South Pointe and went on to finish undefeated and win the program’s first state championship.

Saturday’s game kicks off at 8 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium. Tickets are $8 on Ticketmaster. The game also will be streamed on the NFHS Network for subscribers.

Indian Land and Northwestern will meet in the 4 p.m. game, matching two top teams from South Carolina.