Huskies shut out Huffman on homecoming
TRUSSVILLE – Hewitt-Trussville High School got its fifth straight win and first shutout of the 2023 season with a 62-0 win over Huffman on homecoming.
The Huskies completely dominated in every facet of the game, rolling for 322 total yards on offense and holding Huffman to 37 yards and only three first downs.
Hewitt-Trussville (5-1) got on the board early, putting up touchdowns on its first three offensive plays, including a 41-yard strike from senior quarterback Peyton Floyd to his favorite receiver, Jadon “Jet” Loving on the first play from scrimmage.
Floyd saw limited action after a flawless start, completing all five pass attempts for 103 yards and throwing two more touchdowns, including a 30-yard score to junior receiver Jacob Serena and a 7-yard toss to sophomore receiver Dylan Cope. Senior running back Kennedy Mitchell added a 1-yard plunge for a score as well, as the Huskies stormed out to a 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
While the offense performed as the well-oiled machine one would come to expect, the defense truly shined Friday as the young and inexperienced Vikings offense struggled to establish any semblance of a rhythm. Hewitt-Trussville head coach Josh Floyd said the defense has improved in recent weeks.
“That’s what’s been so exciting about the last few weeks is that our defense has done such a great job,” he said. “We just have to keep getting better. This week was about us. It wasn’t about anybody else. We’re just trying to keep getting better.”
Riggs Dunn contributed to the scoring with just under nine minutes to play in the second quarter, picking off a pass for a 30-yard interception return. Floyd said Dunn has emerged as a leader and is a major factor behind the defense’s improved performance in 2023.
“Riggs Dunn is a three-year starter at safety, and I’ve said the whole time he’s kind of the vocal leader on defense,” Floyd said.
“We’re on a hot streak, there’s no doubt about that and I feel like we’ve come together as a unit throughout the year,” Dunn said. “I think this year we’re playing more for each other than for personal gain. That is one thing that I believe is going to set us apart from everybody else. We’re playing for the guy next to us.”
The Hewitt-Trussville defense has only allowed 48 points since the season-opening loss to Central Phenix, but had yet to hold a team scoreless in 2023.
“We’ve been so close to holding teams to a zero, and when we get a zero, we get doughnuts,” Dunn said. “And I’ve been looking forward to doughnuts for a while.”
Several younger players received significant playing time Friday, including quarterbacks Connor Rhodes, Noah Dobbins and Zac Benedict. Rhodes completed 4-of-5 pass attempts for 29 yards and had a touchdown pass to receiver Jeremiah Hill. Benedict scored on a 9-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
Running back James Kelly punched in a 12-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
At halftime, Sophia Dailey, a senior and standout on the Hewitt-Trussville volleyball team, was named Homecoming Queen.
Hewitt-Trussville will travel to Alabaster to face Thompson next Friday in a Class 7A, Region 3 game. The winner will be in the driver’s seat atop the region standings.