By Erik Harris
TRUSSVILLE – After an overtime loss to Spain Park and a week of recovery, Hewitt-Trussville is now set to visit Class 7A, Region 3 challenger Oak Mountain on Friday night.
The Eagles, fresh off a 10-2 campaign, started the season with high expectations that quickly fell with an 0-3 start. They began the year ranked fifth in the Alabama Sports Writers Association poll before an opening night loss to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, 31-0.
Although the margins got tighter, Oak Mountain struggled through two more defeats to region rivals Vestavia Hills and Hoover, eclipsing its total number of losses from the previous season.
Despite that sloppy start, the Eagles have gained some confidence with back-to-back road wins. Their first win of the season came on Sept. 18 thanks to a 15-7 decision over Tuscaloosa County. Next came a decisive 35-0 win over Briarwood Christian in non-region action.
Hewitt-Trussville failed to slow a powerful Oak Mountain running game last season in a 45-38 Eagles’ win. First-year defensive coordinator Rudy Griffin and his unit hope to change that this time around, as the Huskies enter Friday night on a 3-1 run.
Unfortunately for Oak Mountain, their guests have had no problem performing on the road this fall. The Huskies are 2-0 away from Hewitt-Trussville Stadium through the early part of the schedule with wins at Gardendale and Vestavia Hills.
Head coach Josh Floyd’s Husky Fast offense is averaging 33.5 points per road game thus far, while Griffin’s defense is holding road opponents to 23 points per game.
With a win, the Huskies would improve to 3-1 in league play, giving them optimism for a third consecutive postseason birth. If that happens, Oak Mountain will fall to 1-3 in region play, making their playoff chances slim.
How Hewitt-Trussville performs following an idle week is unsure, but the outcome will undoubtedly alter its path to the Class 7A state playoffs.
Follow Erik Harris on Twitter @jeharris2.