Huskies clinch playoff berth with win
HOOVER — Hewitt-Trussville High School is heading back to the Class 7A playoffs.
The sixth-ranked Huskies cruised to a 35-10 Region 3 win at Spain Park on Friday, all but assuring the third seed in the playoffs.
“We knew if we won tonight it would clinch a playoff spot,” said Hewitt-Trussville head coach Josh Floyd. “Our end goal is not to just make the playoffs, but it is your first goal. You’ve got to get in before you make a run. I don’t take it for granted. 7A has been around for nine years and we’ve been in the playoffs eight of them. There aren’t many teams who have done that. It’s hard to get in from our region.”
Floyd’s son, Peyton, accounted for all five touchdowns for the Huskies, three through the air and two on the ground. His first of the night came late in the first quarter on an 8-yard toss to Brett Moseley. Early in the second quarter he connected with Ka’Darius Barnes for a 60-yard score. Floyd rushed for two touchdowns in the final minutes of the first half, one from 9 yards out and another from 1 yard out after a 22-yard pass to Jacob Serena.
Despite the 28-0 halftime lead, Spain Park (2-6, 1-5 in region) came out blazing in the third quarter. A seven-play, 68-yard opening drive was capped by a 19-yard touchdown run by Derick Shanks. Alex Lloyd converted a 35-yard field goal on the Jaguars’ next drive to cut the deficit to 28-10.
Spain Park forced a three-and-out on the ensuing Hewitt-Trussville (6-3, 4-2) drive and moved the ball all the way down to the Huskies’ 4-yard line, but an errant snap lost 18 yards and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty tacked on 15 more yards to that loss. Spain Park turned the ball over on downs and seven plays later Floyd hit Noah Walls on a 31-yard score to make it 35-10.
“Against a defense like that you don’t get a lot of do-overs,” said Spain Park head coach Tim Vakakes. “We had some chances early to make some plays and we just didn’t hit them. You don’t get do-overs against these guys. You’ve got to hit them when you get them.”
Spain Park finished with 322 total yards, 268 of which came through the air. Senior Evan Smallwood completed 13-of-26 passes for 148 yards, and freshman Brock Bradley hit on 5-of-7 passes for 120 yards, including a 70-yard strike to Mitchell Frazer. Shanks led the ground game with 71 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
“I thought they played hard,” Vakakes said. “We’re just not executing at a heavyweight level yet. But we showed flashes. We’re trying to just take that next step. We’re going to get there. It’s a process. We’re close.”
Hewitt-Trussville finished a balanced night with 353 yards, split almost evenly between passing (180 yards) and rushing (173 yards). Floyd was 12-of-17 for 180 yards and three scores. He rushed 20 times for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Jaqson Melton tallied 98 yards on 16 rushes.
Hewitt-Trussville hosts Chelsea in a region game next week. Floyd praised the Hornets’ offense for the success it’s had this season.
“It’s more about ourselves,” he said. “We have to learn from this and improve. We’re still trying to get healthy like everybody. We’re kind of banged up right now. We’re trying to get through one more week at this point, and we’ll have a week off before the playoffs.”
Spain Park welcomes Oak Mountain to Jaguar Stadium.
“We talk to our kids about moving the needle,” Vakakes said. “We’ve got to get that needle moving. We’re kind of just hovering around. We’re competing. We’ve taken shots. We’re kind of back and forth. We can’t get that needle moved. But once the needle moves here, it’s not going backwards. It’s coming.”