By Erik Harris
TRUSSVILLE – With a big matchup against Hoover brewing up for Oct. 23, Hewitt-Trussville (5-2, 4-1) must keep its mind on the task at hand this week.
The Huskies, under the direction of second-year head coach Josh Floyd, have worked their way into position to possibly earn home-field advantage for the upcoming state playoffs. They are currently tied with Hoover for second place in Class 7A, Region 3 with two region contests remaining. Hewitt-Trussville is scheduled to visit Hoover in two weeks for the final regular season league game of the year.
That game will likely determine who secures the No. 2 seed from the region, but before all of that fun happens, Floyd must make sure his team is ready for an unpredictable Mountain Brook (2-5, 1-4) team this week.
The Spartans have lost five of its last six games, the last of which was a 21-14 stumble at the hands of Oak Mountain. Despite owning the much more pleasing resume, the Huskies will have to do much more than just show up with their cleats on to take a win on Friday night at Hewitt-Trussville Stadium.
Three of Mountain Brook’s five losses have come by seven points or less. On Sept. 4, they took a 21-14 home loss to then No. 1 Hoover before falling by a 30-point margin the following week to Vestavia Hills.
A 28-10 win over the Spartans was key for Hewitt-Trussville’s 2014 postseason birth. Their salty defensive performance, particularly through the final 24 minutes of play, propelled the visitors to victory in last season’s version of the series.
Huskies’ linebacker Bailey McElwain and his defensive unit held Mountain Brook scoreless after the break, and will be searching for a similar performance this time around.
McElwain, who just received an invitation to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game, leads an even stronger defense this season. They are currently holding opponents to 22.8 points per game.
Expect Hewitt-Trussville to secure its fifth league win this Friday night in a tough one.
Follow Erik Harris on Twitter @jeharris2.