Local teams set to begin region play

The local high school football teams jump into the critical part of their schedule in September, as region play kicks off.

Hewitt-Trussville, Clay-Chalkville and Pinson Valley all have playoff streaks of at least six consecutive seasons due to their consistent success in region play.

Hewitt-Trussville hits the road for three out of four games in September, beginning with back-to-back road trips to Class 7A, Region 3 opponents Oak Mountain and Hoover, Sept. 6 and 13. The Huskies played a back-and-forth game against Oak Mountain last fall, prevailing 52-47. Hewitt-Trussville has won the last three games between the two schools and holds a 4-3 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to 1999.

The Huskies will then try to back up their biggest win last fall, when they defeated Hoover 56-28. It snapped Hewitt’s six-game losing streak to the Bucs. Prior to last fall, Hewitt-Trussville’s last win over Hoover came in 1997.

Hewitt-Trussville returns home to take on Spain Park on Sept. 20. Last season, the Huskies cruised to a 44-13 win over the Jaguars and have won three of four games in the overall series, most notably a 64-63 four-overtime thriller in 2014.

On Sept. 27, Hewitt-Trussville concludes the month at Huffman in the renewal of a longtime rivalry. The two teams played every year from 1977 through 2013, with much of that time spent as region foes. The programs are in different classifications now and the Huskies dispatched the Vikings 41-0 last fall, and have won the last seven meetings.

Clay-Chalkville begins the month of September out of region and finishes it with an open week, with its first two region games sandwiched in between. The Cougars travel to Montgomery to take on Park Crossing on Sept. 6, as they look for their first win against the Thunderbirds. Park Crossing knocked off the Cougars in 2016  and 2017. 

The Cougars then host Pinson Valley on Sept. 13. Clay-Chalkville boasts a combined 6A, Region 6 record of 10-2 over the last two seasons, with those losses coming at the hands of Pinson Valley. Pinson Valley has also defeated the Cougars in the semifinals each of the last two years, and has won the last five meetings in the series after failing to defeat the Cougars in the first 10 meetings between the two.

Clay hosts Gardendale on Sept. 20 and will aim to continue its dominance over the Rockets. The Cougars won 56-14 in last fall’s meeting and has won all seven meetings in the series. The Cougars are off the week of Sept. 27.

Pinson Valley plays its first three Region 6 games in September, beginning with a home matchup with Shades Valley on Sept. 6. The Indians have won the last five games in the series, including a 49-7 victory last fall. Pinson has won eight of 12 matchups in the series, with 11 of them coming in the past 20 years.

The following week, the Indians will attempt to continue their dominance over crosstown foe Clay-Chalkville, as they visit Jerry Hood Field on Sept. 13.

Pinson Valley hosts Oxford on Sept. 20 in the Indians’ final game of the month. Pinson Valley knocked off the Yellow Jackets 28-13 last season, marking the first time the Indians have ever defeated Oxford on the field (Oxford forfeited the 2007 victory).