2017 proves memorable for area football teams
The 2017 football season was a banner one for a trio of schools tucked away in the northeast corner of Jefferson County.
Pinson Valley, Clay-Chalkville and Hewitt-Trussville high schools each put together seasons that will be etched among the most successful and notable in school history.
Pinson Valley completely finished what it had started, never slipping, and captured the Class 6A state championship with a 31-10 win over Wetumpka on Dec. 8 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The Indians finished off a remarkable 15-0 season under first-year coach Patrick Nix and standout junior quarterback Bo Nix. In the title game, the Indians went into halftime trailing 10-7, but the second half was a completely different story.
Pinson Valley ripped off 24 unanswered points over the final two quarters to run away with the state championship, the first football title in school history. Bo Nix scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground and hit LiAllen Dailey on a 23-yard pass in the third quarter to help the Indians pull away.
The postseason run was certainly unprecedented, as the Indians had never even made it past the second round (in six previous tries). Their appearances in the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship were the first for the program.
Bo Nix missed four games in the regular season due to an ankle injury, but sophomore quarterback Barry White stepped in and steered the ship admirably during that time. In his first start, he guided the Indians to a comeback victory over Shades Valley and led the Indians’ through their ninth game of the season.
But once Bo Nix returned, he returned with a vengeance. He came back for the final game of the regular season and led his team to six straight victories to conclude the season, including a thrilling 51-50 overtime victory over Austin in the quarterfinals.
The team Pinson Valley defeated in the semifinals, Clay-Chalkville, also had a memorable season under another first-year coach, Drew Gilmer.
Gilmer took over for Jerry Hood, the coach who led Clay-Chalkville to the state championship in 2014 and took the Cougars to an 11-3 record and a semifinal berth.
Region 6 and crosstown rival Pinson Valley was responsible for two of the Cougars’ three losses on the season. The teams’ meeting in the regular season was a wild, 34-32 win for Pinson Valley, but the playoff game was much different. The Indians dominated that contest en route to a 37-7 win.
In recent years, Clay-Chalkville teams had made their names on the fact that they were able to outscore nearly any opponent, with an explosive offense. The Cougars paired that potent offense with a nasty defense in 2017. Sean Talsma’s defensive unit pitched five shutouts, including two in the playoffs, and surrendered just 13.6 points per game.
L.C. Purifoy, D.J. Dale, Derrick Bean and Jaylin Mack were just some of the players made their impact felt every Friday on defense. Offensively, junior quarterback Willie Miller gained much from his sophomore experience and used it as a launching point for a great junior campaign.
A short trip down Deerfoot Parkway, Hewitt-Trussville put together its second straight undefeated regular season. Backed by junior quarterback Paul Tyson, the Huskies were nearly unstoppable on offense all year long. Shortly after the season, Tyson received offers from the likes of Arkansas and Alabama. Several of his teammates also received significant offers.
The Huskies mulched through each opponent in the regular season, only playing one game that was decided by fewer than 14 points — a 34-27 win over Sparkman on Oct. 13. They began their playoff run with a 33-21 win over Spain Park, but ran into the eventual state champion, Hoover, in the quarterfinals.
Hewitt-Trussville pulled to within six points at halftime in the game against Hoover, but the Buccaneers scored 29 points in the third quarter and ran away with a 56-21 victory.
For the year, Hewitt averaged 44.5 points per game and surrendered less than 20 per contest. After going 11-11 over head coach Josh Floyd’s first two seasons, the Huskies have gone 22-2, sweeping Region 4 play each year and solidifying the program as one of the top in the state.