Huskies fall at Hoover
HOOVER – Friday night’s high school football game between Hoover and Hewitt-Trussville felt like a big game.
But Hoover’s mission was to make it not seem that way, and the Buccaneers accomplished that. The Bucs jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a 34-10 win over the Huskies at the Hoover Met in a Class 7A, Region 3 contest.
“I challenged them all week that this is a game you’d want to play in,” Hoover head coach Josh Niblett said after the game. “This is why you’re at Hoover. These are the games you dream of when you’re a young boy.”
Hoover (7-0, 4-0 in region) made a couple key plays on defense in the first half and carried that momentum to a convincing victory.
Hewitt-Trussville (5-2, 2-2) started the game on a roll. The Huskies took the opening kickoff and drove 35 yards in six plays, using a fast tempo to keep Hoover’s defense on its heels.
But disaster struck on the seventh play, as a bad snap turned into a fumble that Terrell Jones picked up and ran 52 yards for a Hoover touchdown.
“I saw the ball come down. I picked it up and all I had in mind was to get to the end zone as quickly as possible,” Jones said.
Hoover’s defense forced a punt on the ensuing drive and the offense went to work, marching 80 yards in 10 plays, with a couple chunk pass plays from Bennett Meredith to KJ Law. Running back Ahamari Williams capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0, the beginning of a big night for the junior.
Hewitt continued to move the ball well in the latter stages of the opening frame. Quarterback Cade Carruth hit Connor Thomas for a 43-yard gain that put the Huskies into field goal range. CJ Curtis got his team on the board with a 22-yard field goal to make it 14-3.
Peyton Argent showed off his own skill set in the second quarter, making field goals of 28 and 43 yards to extend Hoover’s lead. But in the final moments of the second quarter, Hewitt elected to attempt a fourth-and-1 play from its own 29-yard line. The play failed to make the line to gain, setting Hoover up with great field position.
The Bucs capitalized in three plays and Meredith hit Williams for a 12-yard touchdown to give his team a commanding 27-3 lead at the break.
“That was huge and getting the turnover for the scoop and score was huge also, just because they play so fast. You’ve got to try to disrupt it somehow. When we were able to do that, we were able to dictate the flow of the game,” Niblett said.
James Hammonds scored on a 34-yard run for the Huskies’ lone touchdown of the night on the final play of the third quarter. Williams countered with his third touchdown of the night midway through the fourth quarter.
Williams carried the ball 24 times for 102 yards and two scores, adding a receiving touchdown as well.
“Offensively, we were able to run the football,” Niblett said. “You’ve got to win the run totals if you want to win. [The offensive line was] challenged all week. They knew what was in front of them. I’m proud of them and our tight ends, they did a really good job there at the end.”
For Hoover, Meredith went 13-of-22 for 209 yards and the touchdown to Williams. But his favorite target was Law, who caught six passes for 103 yards.
Several Hewitt-Trussville players went down with injury in succession in the third quarter. Carruth left the game with what appeared to be a leg injury and offensive lineman Kade Martin was carted off the field as well. No further update was available when the game ended.
Carruth was 8-fo-13 passing for 101 yards before leaving the game. Peyton Floyd replaced him and played well, completing 4-of-8 passes for 67 yards and rushing for 30 yards. Omari Kelly caught seven passes for 65 yards.
Hoover proved a point on Friday night and Niblett wants his Bucs to keep doing so as the regular season winds down.
“This is a special group. I told them this week, ‘You’re the best team in the state, you’ve just got to prove it.’ That’s what they’ve got to continue to do,” he said.
Next week, Hoover heads to its crosstown rival to play Spain Park in another region contest. Hewitt-Trussville heads back home to face Vestavia Hills.