By Phil Gibson
It was a one-sided affair in Jack Wood Stadium Friday night as the Hewitt-Trussville Huskies handled the G.W. Carver Rams 52-0 and notched a win for the second week in a row.
“It feels really good to get a couple of wins,” Hal Riddle, head coach for Hewitt-Trussville, said. “We’re 2-1 in region play.”
After the defense forced Carver to go three and out on their first possession, it only took four plays for the Huskies to find the end zone for the first time. A 13-yard rush by senior running back Donovan Miller set up a 36-yard strike from senior quarterback Sam Miller to junior wide receiver DeMarcus Kelly for the game’s first touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, the coverage team recorded a safety to open up a 9-0 Hewitt-Trussville lead with 10:17 left in the first quarter.
On the Huskies’ next possession, a 28-yard field goal by senior Griffin Wright extended the lead to 12-0. On the Rams’ next possession, a bad snap on a punt led to another safety to make the score 14-0 with 5:52 left in the first quarter.
After the ensuing kickoff, another quick drive set up a 19-yard rushing touchdown by D. Miller. The Huskies recovered an onside kick to set up a 35-yard Wright field goal to make the score 24-0 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Huskies kept up the attack. Senior running back Kyle Thomas capped off a drive in which he accounted for 54 yards of total offense with a four-yard run into the end zone, making it 31-0 with 9:16 left in the second quarter.
The Huskies’ quarterbacks got their fair share of end zone carries, as well. After another quick three and out, S. Miller finished off a seven-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, and the Huskies found themselves up 38-0 at the end of the first half.
In the second half, the big lead gave the Huskies’ backups a chance to get valuable game experience. Sophomore quarterback Jarett Nelson finished off a 50-yard drive with a 1-yard dive into the end zone to give Hewitt Trussville a 45-0 lead in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, junior quarterback Clayton Speed finished off a 53-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown dash of his own to make the score 52-0.
“A lot of our players got in the ballgame and that makes them all feel a whole lot better,” Riddle said. “Morale is going to be huge.”
S. Miller finished the game with 7 completions on 12 passing attempts for 157 yards and a touchdown to go along with 1 rushing touchdown. Nelson and Speed each finished with a rushing touchdown, as well.
Thomas led the Huskies’ rushing attack with 66 yards on 7 carries and a touchdown. D. Miller had 4 carries for 33 yards and a touchdown.
Kelly had 2 receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown to lead the Huskies in receiving.
On defense, senior defensive back Nate Stotser recorded an interception for the second game in a row. Junior defensive back Chris Wright also recorded an interception. Most notably, however, the Huskies’ defense did not allow the Rams into the red zone once.
“I don’t think they ever threatened us,” Riddle said
. “It was a solid effort from our defense.”
Next week the Huskies are on the road as they play an out of region game against Minor High School. Their next regional game will be at home against Shades Valley High School on Oct. 5.
“ I think we got a little better this week, and we’ve got to get a little better next week.” Riddle said. “Minor is on the horizon right now. We’re looking forward to getting ready for it.”