Photo by James Nicholas
Hewitt-Trussville vs. Pinson Valley Football
Hewitt-Trussville's Ethan Wilson kicked a field goal to beat Huffman on Friday night.
BIRMINGHAM -- Three points were all that separated Class 7A Hewitt-Trussville High School from 6A Huffman on Friday night, as the Huskies edged the Vikings 3-0 in a tight defensive showdown.
Huskies kicker Ethan Wilson drilled a 40-yard field goal with five minutes left in the game to give Hewitt-Trussville the advantage, while the defense completed an impressive shutout minutes later to earn the win. It was the fewest points scored in a Hewitt-Trussville win since a 7-0 win over Clay-Chalkville in 2002.
Both teams managed some big plays on offense but were undone by stellar performances by both squads' defenses, as well as some timely penalties and mistakes on offense.
The air attack was grounded for both teams for most of the night as Huskies’ quarterback Cade Ott Carruth finished 6-of-16 with 81 yards and an interception, with 34 of those yards coming on his longest pass of the night to Ryan Shoop.
Huffman quarterback Justice Christian finished just 6-of-17 for 67 yards and an interception. He tacked on 23 yards on the ground and a fumble.
The Huskies' first drive ended after star running back Armoni Goodwin fumbled and lost the ball, though the Hewitt-Trussville defense got the ball back after Huffman missed a field goal.
On their next drive, the Huskies moved the ball into the red zone, but Huffman defensive back De’Mariay Bimbo intercepted Carruth’s third-down pass.
The Vikings moved the ball into Hewitt-Trussville territory on the ensuing drive, with a 37-yard pass from Christian to Dearrius Nelson. However, the Huskies came up with an interception of their own as Michael Edwards picked off Christian’s pass with just four minutes left to play in the first half.
Huffman would have one more chance before halftime, recovering the Huskies’ second fumble of the game at the Hewitt-Trussville 30-yard line. But a sack by the defense and a forced incompletion kept the game scoreless, and it would stay that way until the fourth quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Huffman running back Makhi Hughes took over for the Vikings, rushing for 41 yards on the drive, leading them into the red zone. A fourth-down incompletion seemingly brought the drive to an end, but a controversial defensive pass interference call gave the Vikings another chance.
On the next play, Christian ran the ball, lunged toward the end zone, but fumbled the ball before coming down, and the Huskies defense scooped it up.
From there, all that was needed was Goodwin.
The Auburn commit took a handoff 68 yards into Huffman territory. A few plays later, Wilson drilled a kick through the uprights.
Huffman had one more chance, and was able to move it just past midfield, but an incompletion by Christian on third down and a sack on fourth down ended the Vikings’ hope.
Goodwin finished the game for 114 yards on 10 carries, with 68 of those yards coming on his carry in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings were led on the ground by Hughes, who ran for 179 yards on 24 carries.
Hewitt-Trussville coach Josh Floyd said the offense didn't play its best, but praised his defense for pitching a shutout.
“We knew it was going to be a challenge,” Floyd said. “You can’t take wins for granted. We’ll take the win and go home.”
Next up, Hewitt-Trussville heads to Hoover next Friday.
