Photo by Laura Chramer.
Hewitt-Trussville defensive lineman Hunter Osborne (8), center, defensive lineman Justice Finkley (1) and linebacker Braylon Chatman (35) play during the first half of a football game against Spain Park at Hewitt-Trussville High School in September 2021.
High school football season is officially underway for Hewitt-Trussville High School. After winning nine games and qualifying for the playoffs each of the last two seasons, the Huskies begin the month of September looking to achieve the same things again (and potentially more).
The Huskies began the year in August with a pair of non-region games, a trip to Central-Phenix City and a home game against Gadsden City.
Those contests served as tune-ups for the gauntlet that is Class 7A, Region 3 play. Hewitt-Trussville has five games in September, with four of those being region contests.
The Huskies get region play started Sept. 2 at Hewitt-Trussville Stadium against Oak Mountain. The two teams matched up toward the end of the season last fall, with Hewitt-Trussville pulling away with a 28-7 win. Oak Mountain star quarterback Evan Smith was out of that game with an injury, but both sides are breaking in new full-time starters this fall.
Hewitt and Oak Mountain have squared off 10 times over the years, with the Huskies taking the edge in seven of the 10 matchups. The Huskies have won six in a row, dating back to 2015.
The following week, the Huskies take to the road to face Tuscaloosa County, a program that has been down in recent years. Hewitt-Trussville won going away last fall, 42-7, to improve to 4-0 at the time. The two programs have faced each other seven times, with the Huskies prevailing in six of them.
On Sept. 16, Hewitt-Trussville welcomes Hoover to town for a big region game. The Huskies have knocked off Hoover just once in the last 25 years, but have been close a few times. They released some frustration in a 56-28 win in 2018, but a pair of one-point losses the last two years has left Hewitt gutted. Hewitt is just 4-20 in the series history, with wins in 1991, 1994, 1997 and 2018.
The Huskies take a break from region play and travel to Huffman on Thursday, Sept. 22. The two programs were consistently region foes for several decades, but have continued to play each other the last four years despite being in different classifications now. Last fall, the Huskies drubbed Huffman 60-19 and have now won 10 straight in the series. The series dates back to 1968 and Hewitt has taken hold of a 24-18 edge all-time.
Hewitt-Trussville caps off the month Sept. 30 with a trip to Thompson, the three-time defending Class 7A state champion. Thompson is the early favorite to repeat as state champions, so this midseason test will likely be a stern one.
Last fall, the Huskies had no answer in a 42-9 loss to the Warriors. It was Hewitt’s first loss of the season, but the Huskies were far from Thompson’s only victim throughout the campaign.
Hewitt’s most recent win in the series came in the regular season finale in 2019. Hewitt didn’t make the playoffs that season, but upset a Thompson team that went on to win the state title.
Thompson holds an 8-6 lead in the series.
