By Gary Lloyd
The track record does not favor Hewitt-Trussville.
The Huskies are 0-10 all-time against Vestavia Hills, according to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society. In four playoff games against Vestavia Hills, Hewitt-Trussville has been outscored 131-19. The Rebels have averaged 27 points per game to the Huskies’ seven in the 10 matchups, which have occurred in 1971, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1993, 1995, 2003, 2007 and 2012. The most recent game was a 28-19 loss last season.
On Friday at 7 p.m., Hewitt-Trussville (0-1) plays at Vestavia Hills (1-0) in a Class 6A, Region 6 bout.
“We’ve got to get ready,” said Hewitt-Trussville head coach Hal Riddle.
Hewitt-Trussville senior wide receiver Logan McAlpin catches a touchdown in last week’s game at Clay-Chalkville.
photo by Ron Burkett
The Huskies fell hard, 56-14, at Class 6A No. 2 Clay-Chalkville last week. Vestavia Hills blew the doors off Class 5A No. 3 Homewood, 34-14. Vestavia Hills got the job done on the ground, rushing for more than 300 yards, the majority of the carries spread across four running backs. Senior Jordan Johnson is the workhorse, a back who totaled 17 touchdowns last season.
Clay-Chalkville rushed for 345 yards on 39 carries last week against Hewitt-Trussville. Digging in and competing in the trenches will be a key for Hewitt-Trussville. Offensively, Hewitt-Trussville saw some success in rollout and play-action calls last week, especially with sophomore quarterback Zac Thomas, who completed all four of his passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 57 yards on 10 carries.
Quick, short passes mixed in with the running game could prove to be successful for the Huskies against Vestavia Hills’ 4-3 defense.
Hewitt-Trussville would like to start off region play with a win against a solid Vestavia Hills team, a squad Riddle has said he thinks is the favorite to win the region.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
