Photo courtesy of Hewitt-Trussville Athletics.
The Hewitt-Trussville High School boys soccer team
The Hewitt-Trussville High School boys soccer team advanced to the state final four for the first time in program history. Shown in the photo is the large crowd gathered to watch the Huskies defeat Florence in the Class 7A quarterfinals.
It was a strong spring for soccer at Hewitt-Trussville High School, with both the boys and girls programs making noise in Class 7A.
The boys team made history, reaching the state final four for the first time in program history after one of the most dramatic wins of the season.
Standing in the way was Florence, the top-ranked team in Class 7A. The match played out like the marquee game it was. Brennan Greer gave the Huskies the lead with a first-half goal, but Florence answered to make it 1-1, and that score held through regulation. Two five-minute overtime periods came and went with neither side breaking through, setting up a penalty kick shootout.
Greer, Andrew Bell and Steven Richards each converted their attempts. Goalkeeper Bryant Steele stopped three of Florence’s five kicks to seal the win, sending Hewitt-Trussville to the final four for the first time.
The Huskies drew Bob Jones in the semifinals at John Hunt Park in Huntsville on May 6, and the game delivered another dramatic finish, though this one didn’t end in Hewitt’s favor.
Arnav Maskey scored just 1:09 into the match to put Bob Jones on top. Greer answered 24 seconds later with a penalty kick to tie it 1-1. Maskey scored again in the opening minute of the second half to put the Patriots back in front, and it stayed that way until Jason Merriweather scored with 31.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime at 2-2.
In the second overtime, Bob Jones’ Zachary McGee got the ball on the left side with about 15 seconds remaining, cut inside past a defender and fired a shot into the upper left corner with 5.4 seconds on the clock to end it. The Patriots won 3-2 and advanced to the state championship game.
Hewitt-Trussville finished the season 15-5-6.
On the girls side, the Huskies also had a strong year. Hewitt-Trussville finished 13-5-3 and ranked fifth in Class 7A before falling to Thompson 4-3 in the first round of the playoffs.
The season wrapped up the careers of two senior captains who signed to play collegiately. Ella Cane signed with Southern Union State Community College and Kate Willoughby signed with Auburn University at Montgomery. Coach Sean Gibson said both players were essential to a young team that started five freshmen almost every game.
“Both Kate and Ella were captains this year and showed great leadership with a very young team,” Gibson said.
Cane, a wing player, finished with eight goals and six assists. She came through in big moments against Hoover and Mountain Brook, using her speed on the outside to get past defenders and create shots or crosses.
Willoughby, a center back, started more than 100 varsity matches dating back to her eighth-grade year. Gibson praised her one-on-one defending and her composure under pressure.
“She was the heart of our back four, the heart of the defense and the heart of this team,” Gibson said. “She really doesn’t make mistakes, which is a great quality to have in a center back.”
