1 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hewitt-Trussville's Owen Robinson (0) tackles a Hoover ball carrier during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
2 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hewitt-Trussville's Denarrius Crawford (4) makes a tackle during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
3 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Referees and ball boys try to keep the game balls dry during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
4 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's Justyn Hartley (14) makes a tackle during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
5 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's JR Mosley (13) carries the ball during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
6 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's Mac Beason(15) carries the ball during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
7 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's Trey Sanders(6) makes a tackle during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
8 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hewitt-Trussville's Jacob Serena(14) carries the ball during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
9 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Action during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
10 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hewitt-Trussville's Will Phillips (5) stops Hoover's Jonah Winston (4) during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
11 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's Keilan Jefferson(12) carries the ball during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
12 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hewitt-Trussville's Drew Ollis (17) brings down Hoover's Mac Beason(15) during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
13 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's Jamar Moultrie (2) breaks up a pass during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
14 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's JR Mosley (13) looks for an opening during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
15 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's AJ Allen (28) carries the ball during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
16 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's Keilan Jefferson (12) is tackled during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
17 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's Jonah Winston (4) carries the ball during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
18 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hewitt-Trussville's Hayden Chauvin (25) pursues Hoover's JR Mosley (13) during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
19 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover's JR Mosley (13) is stopped during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
20 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hewitt-Trussville's Dylan Cope (1) makes a catch near the sideline during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
21 of 24
Photo by Barry Stephenson
The state champion Hewitt-Trussville softball team is recognized during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala.
22 of 24
Photo by Shawn Bowles
Hoover running back AJ Allen (28) in a game against Hewitt-Trussville and Hoover on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at Hewitt-Trussville Field.
23 of 24
Photo by Shawn Bowles
Hoover running back JR Mosley (13) in a game against Hewitt-Trussville and Hoover on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at Hewitt-Trussville Field.
24 of 24
Photo by Shawn Bowles
Hoover quarterback Mac Beason (15) in a game against Hewitt-Trussville and Hoover on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at Hewitt-Trussville Field.
TRUSSVILLE – Find a way.
That was the clear theme Friday night at Hewitt-Trussville Stadium, where No. 7 Hoover slipped past No. 5 Hewitt-Trussville 8-7 in the Under the Lights Game of the Week and key Class 7A, Region 3 game.
The Bucs (3-1, 2-0 in region) limited Hewitt-Trussville to just 14 second-half offensive snaps and ran 44 of their own to wear down the Huskies’ defense and stay on the field for much of the second half.
Trailing 7-0 after three quarters, Hoover engineered a 20-play drive that covered 86 yards but resulted in no points when junior Jonah Winston was sacked on fourth-and-goal. The Huskies (3-1, 1-1 in region) took over with 3:22 to play but were forced to punt after just three plays.
Hoover then strung together good play after good play, something missing for the first 47 minutes of the game, putting together a seven-play, 52-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Mac Beason completed a 19-yard pass to Hunter Purdue to get to the Huskies’ 21-yard line. Beason found wideout Reggie Jackson on the next play to get down to the 1-yard line. Winston punched it in from there with 26 seconds left and lost his helmet in the process. Winston is the holder for kicks, but a player must miss the next play after losing his helmet.
So, Hoover head coach Chip English, smiling after the game as he explained the sequence, opted to go for the win. Beason connected with Purdue for the two-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead.
“It felt great,” Beason said of the play. “We were fighting adversity all game. We couldn’t get anything going and we came out, we scored, and we win the game.”
Hewitt-Trussville had its chance. A Hoover penalty put the Huskies near midfield and a 21-yard connection from quarterback Noah Dobbins to James Kelly set up a 46-yard field goal attempt with one second left. Hunter Curtis’s long field goal attempt missed as time expired.
“When your defense played like it did all night, they kept you in the game,” English said. “That’s what they did tonight. Our defense played lights out for most of the night. We got hot right there. We were able to run the ball, we just had some turnovers. Good teams find a way to win, and we did tonight.”
The only other score in the game came late in the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Dobbins.
“Our defense played great tonight,” said Hewitt-Trussville head coach Josh Floyd. “Thought they played really, really well. We had trouble getting off the field in the second half. We didn’t run hardly any plays the entire second half. They ate the clock the entire second half and kind of dominated the second half.”
Beason finished 13-of-18 for 136 yards and two interceptions for the Bucs. He also lost a fumble. J.R. Mosley led the Bucs with 79 yards on 18 carries.
For Hewitt-Trussville, Dobbins completed 9-of-16 passes for 69 yards. Deuce Alston led the ground game with 58 yards on 13 carries. C.J. Davis was not far behind, finishing with 56 yards on five carries, all in the first half. Parker Floyd and Harrison Malone got interceptions. Mason Holloway recovered a fumble.
Both squads face Class 7A, Region 3 newcomers next week. Hoover hosts Prattville (4-0, 2-0), while the Huskies play host to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (2-2, 0-2).
“It’s a long year, so we just have to learn from it and when you have a chance to put the game away, you’ve got to put it away,” Floyd said.
Cougars roll
Clay-Chalkville rolled to a 42-0 win over Shades Valley on Friday night to get to 4-0 on the season. The Cougars have an open date next week.
Click here to sign up for our Under the Lights newsletter and follow us on social media.
Click here to view and purchase photos from this week's games.
