Huskies fly past Bob Jones in 1st round
TRUSSVILLE -- Hewitt-Trussville High School advanced to the second round of the Class 7A playoffs practically without breaking a sweat, defeating Bob Jones 56-14 at Hewitt-Trussville Stadium on Friday night.
The Huskies scored early, quickly and often, as they found the end zone on every drive in the first half. Senior quarterback Peyton Floyd got the party started on a 14-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Dylan Cope.
The defense set the tone early as well. The Patriots muffed the snap on their first punt attempt, giving the Huskies the ball on the Bob Jones 10-yard line. Hewitt running back Kennedy Mitchell scored on the next play, putting Hewitt-Trussville up 14-0 halfway into the first quarter.
Hewitt-Trussville head coach Josh Floyd said the coaching staff emphasized getting off to a strong start during the week of practice.
“We started really well, which we obviously talk about every week, but we really stressed that this week, especially with this style of offense they run,” Floyd said. “We felt like we could jump on them and get them out of their game plan a little bit. Scoring, then getting a stop and then scoring, I think that was a great way to start the game.”
The rest of the first half was all Hewitt, as the Huskies scored on a combination of big plays and methodical drives, leading 49-0 by halftime. The production on offense was also spread around with contributions from multiple Huskies.
Mitchell scored again late in the first quarter on a 54-yard touchdown run. On the second play of the second quarter, Deuce Alston scored on a 29-yard run, followed by a 62-yard touchdown on a simple screen pass from Peyton Floyd to Jadon Loving.
To close out the first half, Floyd found Jaqson Melton in the end zone on a 23-yard pass, then scored on a 1-yard plunge with 14 seconds to play in the half. The Huskies offense racked up 336 yards in the first half, while the defense only allowed 28 yards.
“Our defense played great. That running back [Tyren Washington] had I think 1,300-plus yards coming into tonight,” Josh Floyd said. “We still missed a few tackles along the way, but I really thought our defense played great.“
The Huskies were able to get plenty of players in on the action over the final two quarters. Hewitt-Trussville will now prepare to host Hoover in the second round of the playoffs next week.
“Obviously, Hoover, they’re going to be a hard team to beat. It’s hard to beat somebody twice in a year,” Floyd said. “Any time you get young guys in a playoff game like this, that’s a big deal.”
The Huskies have historically struggled against Hoover and were knocked out of the second round of the playoffs by the Bucs in 2021 and 2022. While the Huskies know Hoover will be ready, several players feel confident about their chances next Friday.
“We’re going to have a great week of practice,” said Loving. “What’s better than beating Hoover one time, beating them twice? And we get to play them at home.”
“Honestly, when we played Hoover last time, we got the job done, but there were so many things, especially from me, that we could have done better on,” Peyton Floyd added. “We just have to do the simple stuff right, keep working, and have a good week of practice.”
For the game, Hewitt-Trussville amassed 472 total yards. Floyd completed 11-of-14 passing attempts for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Mitchell was the leading rusher with 93 yards on four carries and two touchdowns.
Loving was the Huskies’ leading receiver with 68 yards on two receptions. Sophomore running back James Kelly scored a 55-yard run for the Huskies’ only touchdown in the second half on their first play of the third quarter.