By Chris Yow
Editor
TRUSSVILLE — Hayden Callegan booted through a 27-yard field goal in overtime to help Spain Park avenge last season’s overtime loss to Hewitt-Trussville Friday night with a 31-28 win over the Huskies.
Hewitt-Trussville quarterback Zac Thomas had been almost surgical slicing through the Jaguars defense most of the night, but an ill-advised throw ended up in the hands of a Spain Park linebacker on the first play of overtime, setting up Callegan’s game-winner.
Special teams proved the difference in the game as Hewitt-Trussville (3-2, 2-1 Class 7A, Region 3) missed a go-ahead field goal in the third quarter.
Early on, both teams showed their strengths on offense, as Hewitt-Trussville hit a long pass to Noah Igbinoghene on the game’s first play to set up a Jarrion Street touchdown just four plays later. The drive lasted all of 1:36.
Spain Park answered in less than two minutes themselves with a 7-play, 68-yard drive when Wade Streeter dashed in from 13 yards out to even the score.
From there, Spain Park exerted their dominance offensively. The Jaguars blocked a quick-kick attempt by Thomas and set up a 5-play, 30-yard drive to take the lead 14-7. After stuffing the Huskies on fourth down on the ensuing drive, Streeter found the end zone again, this time from just two yards out and Spain Park led 21-7.
The game was almost out of hand in the second quarter after Thomas was intercepted the first time with a highlight-reel-worthy catch by a Spain Park defender. The Huskies did not lose sight, however, and despite giving up a pair of long runs, a momentum-busting timeout flipped the script.
Hewitt-Trussville called a defensive timeout and subsequently stuffed a run play and Seth Kaehey picked off Joey Beatty on the next play. Street reeled off a 37-yard run and Thomas capped a 10-play, 69-yard drive with a 1-yard score to get within a touchdown.
“I wish I could tell you it was magical,” Hewitt-Trussville head coach Josh Floyd said of his words during the timeout. “But it wasn’t. We just told them to focus and start wrapping up on defense, and we did that.”
The Husky defense stepped up and forced a punt on the ensuing Jaguars’ drive, allowing the offense a chance to even things up before the break, and they did just that.
Thomas was 5-for-7 on the drive for 73 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown strike to Igbinoghene where the receiver went up and over his defender to make the grab.
Momentum was in the favor of the Huskies headed to the break, and mostly continued through the third quarter although both teams failed to find the end zone in the period.
“We played a lot better defense the second half,” Floyd said.
But the Jaguars didn’t go away easily. Spain Park scored to retake the lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the game. Streeter ended a methodical 15-play, 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run after being stopped on fourth down before a facemask penalty allowed the Jaguars another shot.
“We had a tough call there when we stopped them on fourth down and got a penalty. It’s hard to stop a good team like that two times on fourth and goal,” Floyd said.
The Huskies offense wasn’t worried, however, as they marched quickly in only seven plays to tie the game with a Street touchdown run.
Hewitt-Trussville had several opportunities to win the game in regulation, but couldn’t come through.
After being phenomenal through most of the game, Thomas went 1-for-4 on the last drive, although one pass went through the hands of his receiver.
“We just didn’t execute,” Floyd said of the final drive in the fourth quarter. “We had a chance to make a play, we just didn’t make it.”
The final interception in overtime can’t completely mar the game Thomas played, however. He was sensational through the air for the majority of the game and finished 16-of-24 for 254 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. He ran for 56 yards as well in the game.
Street led the way on the ground for the Huskies with 140 yards on 21 carries. Igbinoghene finished with three catches, all in the first half, for 87 yards and a touchdown. Elliot McElwain had five grabs for 73 yards in the game.
Hewitt-Trussville has an open week next week to prepare for the home stretch before travelling to Oak Mountain in two weeks.
Floyd said sitting on this game for two weeks will be hard to swallow, but he hopes to get his team prepared better for the final half of the season.
“We’re gonna have to stick together as a team,” he said. “It’s a long haul, a long season. This is just one game.”