Goodwin carries Huskies past Indians

PINSON — Hewitt-Trussville High School head football coach Josh Floyd could tell his star running back felt nervous on the way to Pinson Valley.

Who could blame him?

The last time Armoni Goodwin carried the ball in a game last September he tore up his knee so badly that his junior season ended far earlier than expected.

So when Goodwin and his Huskies’ teammates arrived at Willie Adams Stadium on Friday night, Floyd pointed Goodwin toward the end zone.

“I told him, ‘I just want to make sure you didn’t forget where the goal line was,’” Floyd said. “‘It’s that white line. You’ve just got to cross it.’”

He did — again and again.

Goodwin, an Auburn University commit, rushed for 175 yards on 19 carries and scored three touchdowns in Hewitt-Trussville’s 44-19 victory at Pinson Valley.

He reached the end zone on dashes of 10, 63 and 13 yards.

“He worked for this moment,” Floyd said.

Goodwin’s first score put the Huskies ahead 14-13 midway through the second quarter. His second and third allowed them to pull away down the stretch.

Goodwin cut through a cluster of defenders, hurdled and raced more than 60 yards to the end zone to give Hewitt-Trussville a 30-13 advantage early in the fourth quarter.

His 13-yard score on the Huskies’ next possession all but sealed the outcome.

Sean Jackson complemented Goodwin in the backfield throughout the game. The senior running back caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cade Carruth in the first quarter and ran in from 3 yards in the fourth.

“[Goodwin] and Sean are just a really good 1-2 punch,” Floyd said. “I feel like we were able to wear them down over the course of the game.”

Carruth threw for more than 150 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception.

Hewitt-Trussville picked off Pinson Valley quarterback Zach Pyron four times as part of a strong defensive showing.

“I was really proud of our defense because I think we stepped up a lot,” Floyd said.

Pyron tossed three touchdowns, including two to GaQuincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry, but it wasn’t enough to match Hewitt-Trussville’s ground game.

The Huskies rushed for more than 250 yards on the night.

Pinson Valley (0-1) will aim to win its first game under new head coach Sam Shade next Friday at Shades Valley. Hewitt-Trussville (1-0) will play at Spain Park on Sept. 4.

Click here to view and purchase photos from the game.